The Kiss of Death
by rukipedia
Summary: A story wherein a fan of Naruto is pulled into the series' world, occupying the body and life of Hyuuga Hinata just after her graduation from the Konoha Ninja Academy. Equipped with only some half-remembered knowledge about the series, a dry sense of humor and some subconscious memories to start her off, how will the new Hinata fare in this strange world? M for eventual violence.
1. Chapter 1

I was watching Naruto from the start, feeling nostalgic for one of the series that I'd grown up with, when I noticed something unusual on the screen. In the background, when Naruto and Sasuke were shoved into a kiss, Hinata had collapsed on her desk. The screen seemed to slow at this, and I leaned closer while I tried to figure out what was going on.

That was when a hand, massive and purple and mottled, reached through the screen and pulled me in.

The world was dark for what seemed like an eternity. Cold seeped into my bones, and eventually my body went numb. Just as I started to wonder if I was hallucinating and dying, my body filled with heat, burning hot after so long in the void. My heart was pounding harder than I'd ever felt it before, a drumbeat in my ears as I gasped for air I hadn't realized I'd needed.

Once I'd settled, I opened my eyes and looked around, and that was the next big shock of my life, though definitely not the last. Instead of my beautiful home… okay, instead of my shoddy flat, I was in a classroom, surrounded by kids that looked far too familiar. Cute blonde in purple, pineapple-hair sleeping in the corner, pleasantly plump meatball lounging nearby. A closed-off boy in shades, a boastful kid in a hoodie with his dog. A rosette in red leading a horde of girls to assault a sunny-haired boy in orange while the class heartthrob sulked nearby.

 _Why,_ I wondered to myself, _am I in the Naruto world?_ Checking my own hair and clothes verified where the last of the Rookie Nine was. _Why am I in the Naruto world and why am I Hinata?!_ I was breathing hard, and had to force my breath even as I felt a crushing pain in my chest. The world spun for a moment, steadied again, and I had to focus on breathing slowly as I thought it out. We had time for that; today should be team assignments. I didn't need to pay attention for a while.

Judging by what was going on with Sakura and Naruto, I could guess that not much actual time had passed between what I saw on the screen and my little wake-up. Either I **was** hallucinating and, by the crushing pain that was starting to fade again, having a **heart attack** , or I'd actually been put into a world that, just a minute ago, had been a cartoon. Not wanting to be stuck contemplating my own mortality, I chose to think about the other option for the time being. Hinata had collapsed after seeing Naruto and Sasuke kiss… but how could a _ninja_ have a heart attack from something like that? Did she actually die of embarrassment?!

I couldn't help laughing at the thought, which earned me a few odd looks. Shrinking into my coat in as best an imitation of shy embarrassment as I could manage, I started watching the people around me instead. Naruto seemed fine, and I could still understand what everyone was saying, so there wasn't anything immediate to worry about, but the looming problem of **being in a world of child soldiers and assassins with superpowers** remained. While it wasn't as bad as Tenten, Hinata didn't get much screen time either, so I didn't have the sort of knowledge I could use if I were in any of Team Seven's shoes. At least I wouldn't be stuck with Kurama, or with Orochimaru's unhealthy obsessions.

Confident that I could at least survive for a day or two, and vaguely hopeful that I could figure out what was actually happening, I finally came out of my own thoughts to see Iruka-sensei standing at the front of the class, reading off the lists of teams. Most of the names sounded a little familiar, but at the same time I was certain I'd never heard of them before. Maybe it was just from how used to Japanese names I was, spending so much of my life on anime. _Look where that got me,_ I thought, holding back another laugh. _Maybe I should cut back on it and actually go outside once in a while._ Just like that, bouncing back and forth between thinking of this as a hallucination, a dream, or a terrifying reality, trying to make light of it all the while, I followed Kiba and Shino as the lunch break was called. On my way out the door I looked back. "Good luck, Naruto-kun," I wished aloud, before continuing on my way.

I could feel his stare at my back as I rounded the corner, almost literally. Given that the people in the show talked about feeling and radiating bloodlust, that probably shouldn't have been as much of a surprise as it was, but marveling at the seeming sixth sense kept my mind busy as I followed the crowd of students leaving the Academy for lunch break. After a while I sat down at a park bench and checked my school bag; to my great luck, I found a bento in there, saving me from having to try and navigate the stalls for good food so soon.

I picked at the food in my bento idly, still thinking about the situation at hand. Once or twice I'd felt like someone was watching me, but in a ninja village that was probably just the ANBU security checking on things. I couldn't see them, but staying hidden was part of their job after all. The mundane but unusual motions of eating with chopsticks and the flavors that I'd never tasted before, in their own way, reinforced the mad notion that this was, in fact, my new reality. _That or my subconscious went to a cooking school ,_ I quipped at myself, savoring the taste of some sushi whose name escaped me.

As distracted as I was, I jumped at the sound of a dog barking next to me. It was Akamaru, who evidently had managed to hop up onto the bench next to me, and I gave him some of my food before patting his head. The puppy ninja barked again, happily, before eating the offered food. I gave him a few more pieces, and when I looked around it seemed like Kiba wasn't there. Strange, but maybe he'd decided to let his partner wander around for a bit.

"Well, if Kiba-kun… or, was it Kiba-san?" Akamaru was looking at me with some confusion now, and I sighed. I'd have to try to guess what Hinata actually called everyone at this point. "If Kiba-kun isn't around, we can keep each other company for a while."

That got an affirmative yip from the puppy, and I gave him another piece of food before finishing what was left in my bento. It was a filling lunch, not too much and not too little, so maybe Hinata had been planning to share with someone already? My mind immediately went to Naruto, and I looked around again. Sure enough, there he was, doing his ridiculous attempt to hit on Sakura as Sasuke. Which was more pathetic? That he thought it would work, or that it had for as long as it had? If his milk hadn't been spoiled, he would've gotten his kiss from Sakura long before Sasuke showed up to deal with the imposter. Sakura had fallen for it too; probably just too eager to get any attention from Sasuke to notice that he wasn't acting right.

That thought led me back to my own situation. Hinata probably wasn't too close to anyone in class, but there were still people who might recognize her acting differently. _This isn't going to end well,_ I thought with a long-suffering sigh, one hand resting on Akamaru's head and petting him gently. I didn't have long to think about how I'd deal with the rest of the Hyuuga clan. Would they notice? Hinata was the heir, but at this point she wasn't exactly the favorite for anyone. Unworthy heir or Main Family princess, I was probably in for a lot of hate either way.

Another yip from the dog at my side, and I noticed some of the Academy students that I could recognize heading back toward the building. Guessing that the lunch break was over, I let Akamaru free and got to my feet. It wasn't a long walk back to the Academy, but I didn't want to be late, and making Kiba worry about Akamaru wouldn't be a good way to start the team off either.

Another short period of class time came and went, without much getting said or done. All the lessons were done, after all; aside from meeting up with the Jounin-sensei, today was a formality and a farewell. Naruto was looking at me cautiously, and I gave him a friendly smile before hiding behind my sleeves. _Damn it, I'm supposed to be shy around him,_ I recalled with a wince. Before any comments could pass, Kurenai arrived and called for Team Eight. We left the classroom, and I moved just a bit faster than a casual pace as I tried to avoid any questions from the blonde boy.

Kurenai brought us out of the Academy, moving to a couple of benches by the river. Familiarity itched at my memories, and eventually I figured it was probably where Itachi fought with Kurenai, Gai, Asuma and Kakashi. I tried to imagine that battle for a moment, but was startled out of my thoughts by a hand on my shoulders.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" Kiba asked as I turned to look at him. "You've been spacing out a lot today, Hinata-chan. Not like you usually do around Naruto, either." He chuckled a little as he poked fun about Hinata's crush, but he still looked concerned.

I shook my head as I tried to figure out what to say. "N-no, Kiba-kun, I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about. I just… have a lot on my mind today, since we're finally starting as shinobi."

The skeptical look on his face showed that I hadn't really convinced him I was fine, but he shrugged it off for the time being. Shino had been watching the exchange, but didn't say anything either, and we all turned our attention to Kurenai when she cleared her throat.

"I can see you already know each other, but since we're meeting as a team for the first time today, we'll still be introducing ourselves. I'm Yuuhi Kurenai, your Jounin instructor starting today. I like going out into town with my friends, and my favorite phrase is 'Glory like a violet blooming every day.'"

 _How did you manage to tell me less than Kakashi,_ I thought incredulously. Sure, she actually said **something** , but what that phrase meant, I couldn't begin to guess.

Unperturbed by the nonsensical quote, Kiba barreled along with his own introduction. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, nice to meet ya. I like spending time with Akamaru, no matter what we're doing together. Heck, his name's my favorite thing to say." He demonstrated, saying the dog's name a few times and getting barks in response.

I nodded to Shino, letting him go ahead. He hesitated for a moment, before stepping up. "My name is Aburame Shino. My hobby is the study and collection of new specimens of insects. My favorite phrase is 'trump card.'"

 _Like when he fought Zaku?_ I considered this for a moment, but it didn't really matter. The odds of that fight repeating had to be pretty slim. "I'm… H-Hyuuga Hinata," I started, having to stop from saying the wrong name. I didn't have Hinata's information memorized, so I decided to fill in with what was true from my own life. "My hobbies include singing and dancing, even if I'm not very good… and I suppose my favorite phrase would be 'The world is not beautiful, therefor it is.'"

Kiba barked out a laugh. "Never thought you'd be the dancing type, Hinata-chan!" He didn't hold back his amusement, and I felt my face heating up in genuine embarrassment. Like I said, I wasn't very good at it, but I had to say **something** that wouldn't be too out of place. I couldn't exactly say _My hobby is watching your life over and over like a cartoon show._

Kurenai cleared her throat again, shooting Kiba a sharp look before she spoke. "Now that we all know each other a little better, I need to explain something to you. Tomorrow we'll be doing a training exercise; you all did good to graduate, but before we go on any missions I have to make sure you really have what it takes to be Genin."

"Oh come on, Sensei," Kiba scoffed, "we **just** passed the test yesterday. Doesn't that mean anything?" Looking over to Shino, I could see even he seemed just a bit confused by the raised eyebrow peeking out over his sunglasses. I shifted to look at Kurenai again as she answered.

"It's not really my choice, but even if it was I'd want to take the time to see what you can really do. If we put shinobi on the field with nothing but what you need to graduate, we'd be getting you back in a body bag. If at all." She paused, letting her words sink in. While Kiba wasn't happy with it, he didn't protest either. Seeing that, Kurenai resumed her explanation. "If you don't do well enough tomorrow, I'll have to send you back to the Academy for more training. Since you all should have had the support of your family, though, I'm expecting good things." She listed off a training grounds location and a time, just after noon, before wishing us luck and going in her way.

"Well, guess I'll see you guys tomorrow, then," Kiba said, grumbling to himself about the stupid second test as he left before either of us could reply. Akamaru yipped at us again before chasing off after him.

Turning, I smiled to Shino. "Then, have a good day, Shino-kun. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Indeed. Hopefully you will be in better condition. It would be a shame for this recent case of absent-mindedness to inhibit your future, Hinata-san."

With that less-than-friendly farewell, we parted ways… and I realized I didn't actually know the way home. _Maybe I'll see someone else from the clan if I explore for a while? I can't just ask for directions._ Since I didn't really have any better options, I started walking along the river, looking around as I searched the city.

I walked around aimlessly for a while, occasionally seeing a familiar landmark from the series. Nothing really pointed me in the right direction, though; really, in the show you only saw small snapshots of the so-called 'Village' Hidden in the Leaves. Konoha brought to life was every bit as big as I imagined it. The more I explored, and the more lost I got, the more dismal my chances of actually finding another Hyuuga seemed.

After a while I stopped paying attention at all, and started focusing inward instead. While it was lucky that Hinata didn't use any techniques that needed hand signs, I'd need a grasp of my own chakra before I could even hope to pass the test tomorrow. Since it seemed like I really was stuck in this world, I had to keep working as a ninja. I didn't know if Kakashi's little declaration about being forced to drop out of ninja training entirely was genuine, or if it applied to all failing teams, but I couldn't risk disappointing Hiashi that badly. At best I'd get the clan's slave brand across my forehead, and Hanabi would be pushed forward as heir; I didn't even want to consider the worst possibility. More than that, I'd need all the power and skill I could get to survive what was coming if the plot held true.

So, chakra. The show didn't give an in-depth explanation of how it was used, but it was a mix of physical and mental energy combined within a ninja's body. Every ninja had a strong chakra network, oddballs like Rock Lee not withstanding, so unless that disappeared when I came in it should still be there; if it did disappear, I was right back to being afraid of Hiashi's wrath. _Stupid Byakugan,_ I grumbled mentally, before trying to imagine my own chakra. A system of blue fire running through my veins, reaching around and through every part of my body, concentrated along key paths.

Breathing deeply, I pictured these key paths, trying to usher the energy along, but lacking any idea of what to do with it. Instead of just getting a feel for it, I let out a little yelp as I felt a jolt of electricity across my body. _Lightning chakra? Or is that just what chakra feels like?_ Wary of my chest pains from before, I decided to experiment a little more carefully. I found an empty training ground and focused inward again. Instead of just shoving my chakra around, I concentrated on the energy in my arm. Now that I was more aware of it, I realized that the heat that had flooded my body wasn't just life, but was actually my chakra flowing through me. Moving that heat around came with surprising ease, and I stepped forward, twisting my torso to add speed and power to the palm strike that my instincts called for. Pushing the heat out, I could feel it burst into the air, even if I didn't see anything.

 _Yes! I can do this!_ I jumped with joy and relief, before sliding into my best guess at a fighting stance. Letting my body do the work, I moved from strike to strike, almost like a dance, pushing chakra into the air with every attack. As I moved, my instincts came through more clearly, and the motions themselves became more fluid, more… right. As if my body, Hinata's body, still knew what to do to fight. _Maybe I retained some muscle memory?_ It was, along with so many other things, my best guess. The motions weren't really what I remembered from Neji and Hinata's fights as Gentle Fist standard, but it still felt right. Maybe I was making my own style as I went along; I'd just have to hope it wasn't full of holes and weaknesses. I didn't limit myself to hand and finger strikes, though. It was a dance, and that meant making full use of my entire body.

Once I'd tired out my limbs, I sat down under a tree. There was still one last thing to try before I could go back to trying to find the clan compound: the Byakugan itself. I was feeling lucky after how well the pseudo-Gentle Fist style came to me, and I hadn't even had another scare with whatever damage Hinata left on her heart for me. So, I tuned into my chakra again. It still took concentration, especially since I wanted to be careful with the chakra in my **head** , but I had a better feel for my chakra after practicing with it so much.

Grasping the chakra in my head by my will, I gently nudged it along the path into my eyes, a little bit at a time. Just a few seconds in I could **feel** my eyes reshaping themselves. They flattened from the egg-like shape the eye normally had to a ball, barely-distinct irises broke apart white nigh-invisible pupils stung, taking on more distinction as parts of the body I couldn't name changed purpose and function. I lost color vision, but the world started expanding, growing, flying away. Sights I couldn't comprehend filled my eyes, zooming in and seeing things no naked eye could, vision swiveling around at dizzying speeds and in impossibly wide arcs as I tried to comprehend what was going on. I had to stop before I got sick, cutting off the chakra flow to my eyes. They pushed back to normal, settling back in the position they **should** be in. Taking some deep breaths, I sighed quietly. _That's going to be horrible to practice with._ I resigned myself to a late night of training my eye control before I could go to bed tomorrow. At least Kurenai's answer to the bell test was scheduled late enough that I could sleep in.

A rustle of leaves caught my attention, and I looked up to see Neji scowling down at me. "Hinata-sama, Hiashi-sama sent me to get you." I looked at the sky, realizing that the sun was going down. Was I really out there that long? It seemed so. "I will take you to see him," Neji added when I didn't answer, irritation dripping from his voice.

 _Right. I'll have to step lightly with this one._ "Th-thank you, Neji-niisan," I answered belatedly, rising to my feet and brushing the dirt off my clothes. "I apologize for making you come find me."

Neji grunted, not quite acknowledging the apology. He jumped down from the tree, turning away from me immediately and leading the way. I followed after him, having to match his hurried pace. He was quiet for a time, but just as I started to relax, he asked, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

 _He was watching that?_ My face heated up again as I realized that, wondering how long he'd been spying on me. "N-nowhere. I was just trying something new." I couldn't keep the nerves out of my voice, worried that I might have somehow blown the game right then and there. I wasn't sure what to make of it when all I got was another grunt in response.

He didn't say anything else on the way home, thank whatever gods may be watching, and time seemed to fly by until we arrived at the massive group of traditional Japanese buildings that were my home now.


	2. Chapter 2

The Hyuuga Clan's district of town was massive, at least compared to what I had expected. While Branch members were here and there in the series, the fact that the Main family numbered more than just a select few almost never came up. There were far too many for what had happened to Hizashi to be the norm for second children of the Main line. I had several guesses about why Hizashi might have been moved to the Branch Family, but without anything else to go on I could only hazard a guess that not sealing Hanabi or Hinata was less of a special case than I'd thought.

I couldn't help the mixed feelings surrounding that notion; on the one hand, I was less likely to be kicked over for any mistakes I might make. On the other hand, that was one less piece of evidence that Hiashi actually cared about his daughters. _Let's just hope anyway,_ I thought with some desperation.

As I followed Neji deeper into Hyuuga territory, I could feel as much as see the eyes watching me. Some were neutral, a couple were friendly—those I tried to memorize, without much success—but most were varying levels of disapproval. Of the last, most Branch members veiled their distaste at least slightly, probably worried about some Main Hyuuga punishing them for disrespecting even the lowest Main Family member. Those same Main Hyuuga were actually more open in their contempt, though, without that threat hanging overhead.

I resolutely ignored their disdain as best I could manage it, but I wasn't exactly used to this sort of thing. I had a couple bullies in school, sure, but that wasn't anything close to the feeling of isolation, shame and frustration that came from those cold, judging eyes. It was creepier with the inactive Byakugan staring me down, unnaturally white and almost-featureless eyes baring the message that I was so horrible and worthless in their mind. I was starting to understand why Hinata had grown up so shy, if her caring about her sister too much to hurt her brought this down on her years ago.

To help distract myself from it all I kept my head down, eyes just high enough that I wouldn't bump into anyone or lose track of Neji. Instead, I took in the sound and smell of the neighborhood itself. The smell of aged wood and scented oils filled my mind, bringing forth thoughts of nature's bounty. The one that seemed the strongest reminded me of the few times I'd been in a forest, although I couldn't tell exactly what it was. Under that, I could pick up hints of citrus or floral scents, and while I could only see so much it was almost as though I had stepped past the village border and into the wilderness beyond.

The sounds kept that illusion firmly distant, though. The shinobi of the clan stepped lightly enough not to make a sound, but the rest were as noisy as any other regular person. Ninja clan or not, the Hyuuga had its own pride, and that pride showed itself in the bustle of a people that didn't content themselves with using the larger village's supplies exclusively. As a major clan, they had vendors, bakers, tailors, and others, just like the Uchiha had in the small glimpse of their compound before Itachi's massacre in the show. The Hyuuga probably wouldn't even entertain the notion of being less self-sufficient than their rival clan.

Taking all of this in was a good focus, but I had to look up again when I saw that Neji had stopped. We were in front of a sliding door, which led into the largest building I could see. _The family meeting hall? Or does Hiashi want to meet me alone?_ Almost before I finished the thought I noticed a far more piercing intent than usual pushing against my awareness. It was just Neji and me outside, so I hazarded a guess that someone inside was watching me with the Byakugan.

Neji slid the door open after a moment's pause, leading me in and grudgingly bowing to those within. My unspoken question was answered as I walked inside, and I bowed low as soon as the clan head and elders came into view. _Definitely the meeting hall._ The building was distinctly true to form as traditional Japanese architecture, with the stylized flame within a fan that symbolized the clan painted on the wall behind Hiashi.

Hiashi's disapproval had been clear and sharp even in that brief glance, and even though he wasn't my **real** father, it hurt that someone who considered himself such would look at his own child that way.

My heart feeling like ice already, I cringed at his words despite the flat, formal tone. "Hinata, I recall telling you to return to me as soon as your team had finished meeting for the day. Why have you ignored this?" The elders said nothing, and as I raised my head to look at Hiashi I noted the subtle smirks that ruined a few otherwise-stoic faces.

"… I was training, Honored Father. My Jounin instructor, Yuuhi-sensei, mentioned that we will be tested tomorrow, to ensure our quality as Genin." I tried to keep my voice level, unwilling to show the fear and pressure bearing down on me. Recalling Neji's showboating during the Preliminaries, though, I realized that if he could read facial tics so well, the clan leadership probably could too. I had to focus on breathing calmly and slowly after that.

"Training that could not occur after this meeting, or within the Clan's own training ground," Hiashi observed, making me wince slightly. "What sort of training would be so urgent?"

I couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer at all, and the look of fear that crossed my face must have been stronger than I thought; the smirking elders' grins grew just a bit more obvious.

Growing impatient, Hiashi turned to look at Neji, and the youth answered in a clipped tone."It seemed Hinata-sama was developing a new form for the Gentle Fist style, Hiashi-sama."

"Is that so?" A hint of curiosity crept into Hiashi's voice. His gaze turned back to me, and the elders behind him all became more expressive at this. Aside from those who were taking this as entertainment, a couple more were curious as well, and the last present one had taken on the disapproving and dismissive look I'd seen in the streets.

"… Yes, Honored Father," I confirmed, not seeing any way out of this now. Neji wasn't going to help, clearly. Fishing for something to say, I went with the first idea that came to mind. My words came out stilted, as I tried to weave together the excuse at least half-convincingly. "I remembered how… poorly I had done when I was set to duel against Hanabi-chan, so I had thought I might try to find a form that came more comfortably."

"Show me," Hiashi nearly demanded. I didn't have any more attention to spend on the elders at this point, eyes wide at the idea of being pushed already. Hiashi didn't wait for a response, instead moving from his position at the head of the elders' group to stand on the wood floor in the center of the meeting hall. Everyone else moved to sit along the edges, Main Family on one side and Branch Family on the other.

I swallowed, trying vainly to will the pounding of my heart to slow to something that didn't resemble a hummingbird or a rabbit. I stepped into position, and raised a hand in the Seal of Confrontation, copying Hiashi's own. His Byakugan was active immediately, but he stood still as he waited for my demonstration.

I took another deep breath, sinking into the starting stance I improvised only a short time before. I was standing sideways, my left arm partially extended forward while my right bent so the forearm crossed my chest. The left palm was held sideways, with my pinky towards my opponent, ready to swat aside attacks. My right hand, my primary weapon, was set with the palm facing him directly. My legs were spaced along my shoulders, weight on the balls of my feet, ready to pivot, bounce in one direction or another, or push forward hard.

I took a moment to adjust slightly, changing the stance just enough to be more comfortable, and stopped short of attacking. I had to activate my own Byakugan, if this was going to be a test of the Clan's style. Nervous about repeating my panic attack before, I locked eyes with Hiashi as I gently pushed the chakra into place to activate them properly. The world washed out into the hues of the Byakugan's gaze, but with my concentration centered I managed to avoid swiveling my gaze around aimlessly, and a moment's focus stopped the rush forward that would have left me staring through the back of Hiashi's skull.

Now ready, with a shaky hold on my sight, I kicked off with my back leg and pounced forward with a feinted lunge. I wove my thrusting arm around Hiashi's as he tried to counter the strike, and I kicked instead, flaring out the heated life-force in my leg as he raised a shin to block the motion before the kick itself could pick up steam. Blocking that had cost him a small bit of mobility, but it wasn't enough, and his counter-strike hit my left forearm when I tried to shift out of the way, shutting down most of the fine chakra control I had in my wrist and hand.

The exchanges continued like this, with my efforts gaining small rewards, and often getting punished shortly after. Hiashi mostly settled for shutting off tenketsu, limiting my chakra more and more, but after just a few clashes he shut down my left arm entirely. As the spar went on, I was starting to feel more of a strain than I had the entire time training alone, but I was also learning, just a little bit, how to clean up my movements within this cobbled-together style I was using.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed as I staggered from his latest counter, his fingers sliding off of my right calf. I had to bring my leg down quickly to regain my balance, and the affected muscles nearly gave out right then and there, but I stood as firmly as I could. I couldn't afford to show weakness in front of him.

Before I could try to mount another attack, Hiashi held up a palm in gesture to halt my efforts, his eyes regressing into their natural form. "That is enough. Hinata, you will be pardoned for shirking my command this time, but do not do it again. I am..." he seemed a bit lost for words, eyes moving off to one side before centering on me again. "I am impressed by your progress," the result of his consideration came out awkwardly. "While it is still flawed, I believe this will be sufficient to represent the Hyuuga Main Family for the time being. See to it that you do not let the skills you are developing fail you again."

I eyed Hiashi uncertainly, and held out a hand, index and middle fingers curled slightly as I released the Byakugan activation myself. He raised an eyebrow briefly, before hooking his fingers with mine to form the Seal of Reconciliation. We held it for a few seconds before parting our hands, and I bowed to him again. "Thank you, Honored Father. I will not bring shame to the Clan."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed someone I hadn't seen in the meeting hall earlier. Hanabi was sitting at the end of the row of Main Family members, her eyes wide and mouth curved in a smile. I smiled back to her, before looking to Hiashi again. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw the ghost of a smile at the corners of his lips too, but it was gone before I could be sure, if it was ever there at all.

"However," Hiashi started again, "I insist that your training outside of what your sensei sets for you be done within the compound, for the foreseeable future. You have put undue stress on your body today, and it cannot be allowed to repeat."

 _Is he talking about my chest pains?_ I wondered to myself, while nodding in response. "I apologize, Honored Father." At least it wasn't bad enough that I would have to go to the medics, even if I had to take it easy for a while. _Thank the heavens for D-Ranks,_ I thought with some humor, realizing that the supposed chore missions most people ridiculed were going to be my saving grace.

Hiashi nodded silently, and returned to his position before the Clan's elders, sitting on the floor. I sat in front of him, guessing that my meeting was not done yet. Rightfully so, as the next question came. "To which team were you assigned?"

"My sensei is Yuuhi Kurenai-sensei, and my teammates are Inuzuka Kiba-kun and Aburame Shino-kun. I believe we will be a tracking team, by our respective clans' specialties."

Another nod greeted my answer, and I took a moment to survey the audience of Main Family members again. The elders' expressions had flattened again, taking on the formality due to their station, but Hanabi was leaned forward with thinly-disguised interest. Hiashi himself was the picture of graceful calm, but instead of the dispassionate cold before, he seemed just a tiny bit warmer and more accepting.

"Hyuuga, Aburame and Inuzuka. Yes, this has the makings of a tracking team, but you will not let yourself solely be defined by your eyes. The Main Family, and especially one in line to inherit the position of Head of the Clan, must be more than that. You may not be the heir anymore, but I will not allow you to settle for anything less than your best after the potential and dedication you have shown today."

 _An order and encouragement in one? You don't waste words, do you?_ I bowed from my seated position to acknowledge the message properly, but he wasn't quite done yet. " **If** you continue to show improvements, I may allow you to face your sister again to see which of you is to inherit."

I stayed bowed a few seconds longer than necessary, to hide the distaste on my own face. When I rose up again, Hanabi's face was conflicted. I could guess why—pride for her sister's achievements against Hanabi's own being called into question. I took a deep breath and was about to respond, but before I could, Hiashi spoke one last time. "You are dismissed. Hanabi, make sure that Hinata reaches her room and return to me for our training session."

Hanabi stood stiffly and bowed, uttering an acknowledgement of the order. I rose to my feet as well, and walked with Hanabi as we left the building. I was limping slightly, my leg stinging when I put weight on it, but it didn't feel so bad that it might last through the night. Once I was sure of that, my focus went to Hanabi instead.

Once we were far enough not to be overheard by the Main Family, I spoke up. "Hanabi-chan, don't worry about it. Even if I'm improving, our father won't just throw you aside." I tried to sound more sure of myself than I was, at least. "Besides, Hanabi-chan is strong."

"Onee-chan is strong too," Hanabi answered, stopping and turning to look at me. "I'm only heir because you didn't hit me when we dueled. If you had fought me like you fought father today, you would still be the heir. But…" her eyes shifted downward, her voice hesitant and uncertain.

I wasn't really sure what to say or do. If Hanabi really believed in me, downplaying what I did would just get denial, but what else…? _If words won't help, take action,_ I told myself as I reached out and pulled Hanabi into a hug. She stiffened in the embrace, looking up at me. I didn't say anything right away, just holding her gently until she relaxed enough to hug me too.

Once she seemed more at ease, I spoke. "I don't know for sure what will happen, but I believe that you'll be great, no matter which of us is heir in the future. I still don't want to hurt you, Hanabi-chan, but I want you to be free too. You can't just limit yourself to being the family's heir, Hanabi-chan. Be yourself first, and let family obligations come after that. If I can give you that chance…" I trailed off, not sure what else to say.

Hanabi was still looking up at me, and her expression gained some resolve before she broke up the hug. "Alright, Onee-chan. I'll keep doing my best, but I'll try to keep your advice in mind." She hesitated again before asking, "Could we spar once in a while? I want to learn more about how Onee-chan fights too."

I smiled a bit brighter at that, nodding firmly. "Of course, Hanabi-chan. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'd like to spend more time with you from now on, when I'm not with my team." The look on her face when I said that was practically shining, by Hyuuga standards of expressiveness, and my heart melted a bit at how cute she was. She nodded back and started walking again, leading me back to my room.

"Good luck tomorrow, Onee-chan," Hanabi offered as I opened the bedroom door. We bid each other farewell before she left, and I looked around Hinata's room, curious what sort of place I'd be staying in from now on. To my surprise, in contrast to the aesthetics and architecture of most of the Hyuuga compound, the house I was in and my room itself was all designed and decorated to western style. A mattress with a wooden bedframe, a desk with a chair, and similar furniture that I'd taken for granted in my home world were small comforts of familiarity in a strange new land. It wasn't **my** room, but it helped.

I turned off the light, activating the Byakugan with some effort. I was starting to feel colder despite the sweater I'd forgotten to remove, even during my meeting and spar with Hiashi, and the warmth left in my chakra network moved sluggishly despite my efforts. I was still able to activate it, though, and without something to focus on I had to concentrate to avoid losing control again, just using the Clan's eyes to navigate to my bed. I resolved to experiment with it more when I wasn't burning through my reserves.

I drifted off to sleep just a little while later, physically and emotionally drained by everything that had happened.


	3. Chapter 3

I groaned and rolled away from the sunlight pouring into my room through the window, trying to pull the covers up over my head. I was too tired to get up right away, so I kept my eyes shut as I hid from the sun. It took a minute or two until I was awake enough to notice that I didn't really feel quite right. Pressure in the wrong places, my arms and legs were too short, and numerous other things just kept coming up until I remembered everything that had happened yesterday. My heart started racing as I sat up, throwing off my covers and checking my body. **Hinata's** body.

My breath hitched and I curled up on the bed, my heart pounding in my ears as it all sank in. I couldn't really deny the idea of this being real anymore, couldn't just hide behind notions of it being a dream, or a hallucination. If it was any of those, I'd have woken up or slipped into some other dream by now. Or died, if it was something my brain came up with in my last moments. No, this was real. It had been real from the start.

I lost track of the time I sat there, curled into myself and trying to not shatter at the idea of what had happened, and the fear of what could go wrong. I didn't remember most of the plot past Pain's invasion, and really most of the details were fuzzy even up to that point.

 _Maybe it'll be alright,_ I thought desperately. _I mean… I was already doing my own thing, a little. I already messed up, but I can make things better too, just with what I already know._ That I'd started changing the clan's perception of Hinata was already proof of that, even if the potential duel with Hanabi wasn't exactly a positive. Despite that, Hanabi seemed to react well when I spoke with her after that. The idea of causing some good changes was all that really kept me from tilting over the edge at that point. _Still, I can't get too careless. If someone thinks I'm a spy or under mind control of some kind, I'll get shipped to Torture and Interrogations._

With that less than cheery thought, I finally looked out from my bed and spotted my alarm clock. Right away, I had to jump out of bed and rush through getting ready. _Why is it so late!?_ I threw on a fresh set of clothes, grabbed my ninja tools from where I'd set them the previous night, and ran out.

I nearly ran into Hanabi and Hiashi, having to bounce and spin out of the way as they came around a corner. "Sorry! I'm running late for my team meeting, have a nice day!" That was all I could really afford to stop for, so after a quick bow I started running again, trying to ignore the glare aimed at my back. Sure, it was rude, but a note about tardiness this early in my Genin career would be unforgivable. As long as I didn't shame the clan in the eyes of outsiders, I could at least hope Hiashi would be more lenient.

I made it to the training grounds, panting hard as I tried to catch my breath. I had to stop on the way to get **some** food, at least, since I'd missed dinner last night. Luckily, it looked like I wasn't quite late, since Kurenai wasn't there. Shino and Kiba were, though, so I took one last deep breath to steady myself before bowing to them. "Good afternoon, Shino-kun, Kiba-kun, Akamaru-chan." I got a bark from the last in response, while the other two looked at me a moment.

Shino was about to speak, but Kiba bulldozed over his words. "What took you so long, Hinata-chan? If you took much longer we'd probably have to start without you."

"I don't think that's how that works, Kiba-kun," I mumbled in response, looking around rather than meeting his eyes. "I… don't see Kurenai-sensei anywhere."

Shino paused, probably to see if Kiba was going to interrupt him again, before answering. "I believe she is approaching now. It is fortunate that you arrived when you did, Hinata-san."

I nodded in agreement, turning to look at Kurenai. She had three scrolls in hand, and a smile that promised we weren't going to have an easy afternoon. _That's not a surprise, at least. It can't be as bad as staring down Kakashi when he's trying to beat the idea of valuing your teammates into you._ I chuckled nervously, doubting the words even as I was thinking them.

Kurenai's smile brightened a little more as she saw us, and she immediately set about handing out scrolls. "These scrolls contain your tests," she explained as I took the offered scroll. "You're to gather information on each of these subjects, tracking them throughout the day, and return here in four hours to give your reports. Good luck."

We each opened our scrolls, reading over the details shown. Three targets, with one designated for each of us, and some basic information about where we might find them. I was shadowing a young man with long black hair, normally tied back in a ponytail, green eyes. That and a few other identifying statistics were under the picture, along with his usual morning stop at a tea shop. He wasn't a ninja, but his job was one of the things I had to find out.

I spared a moment to see who Kiba and Shino were following, and I saw that they were tracking civilians too. An older man for Kiba, a younger woman for Shino. At the end of the scroll, there was a little bag with an earpiece and microphone inside, which I put on immediately.

Kiba pocketed his earpiece, grinning cockily. "Don't worry, I'll hear you fine if you call, but I need both ears to hear what he's saying, right? Come on, Akamaru, let's get going!"

Shino huffed, before putting his earpiece in as well. "Good luck, Hinata-san," he offered, before parting ways as well, leaving me with Kurenai. I looked up at the instructor, bowed, and started walking back the way I'd come to the training ground.

 _So we're getting tested separately? Then where does the trick come in, if there is one?_ I gathered up just a little bit of the heat of my chakra into my legs before kicking off the ground, landing on the rooftop of a small store as gently as I could manage. _I'll have to find the tea shop first, I guess._ I took off my sweater, wrapping it around my hips to keep it secure. I didn't want to run in something restrictive and hot, but I didn't want to lose it either; that done, I started running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Most of it was running on instinct, but I had to use what little knowledge I had about what traceurs did to move more efficiently in order to get across the rooftop paths.

To be honest, I probably took too long just enjoying the feeling of near-flight that came with this little experience in chakra-enhanced parkour. Once I was far enough out to start seeing corner shops and smaller restaurants, I stopped and activated my Byakugan, forcing down the urge to shudder as my vision warped. By now it was starting to be a familiar transition, but feeling parts of my eye slide around wasn't something I felt like I'd adjust to any time soon. I looked around carefully, taking my time to move my gaze around, imagining the movement more as a camera than my eyes themselves.

I wasn't sure quite how far away they were, but I could see Kiba and Shino skulking through the crowds below. Akamaru was sniffing along the ground like a bloodhound, while Shino was in another part of the neighborhood looking around on his own. I didn't see our targets right away, but this time I **did** shudder as I got a look at and through Shino. Seeing the bugs crawling in and out of his skin, through holes long-worn through but small enough that few would notice. Little insects marching through tunnels and pathways in his body, weaving around his organs and muscles… even if I wasn't that squeamish normally, that sort of sight wasn't something a normal human was ever meant to see.

Managing to pull my eyes away from the gruesome vision, I started focusing on finding my target again. The sounds and smells of the village were blurring together, keeping me from relying on those to try to find any hints of a tea shop that way. _Wait. Smells, right?_ I tapped the button on my earpiece, turning on my microphone. "Kiba-kun. Kiba-kun, please come in."

I tried a few more times without any response, and let out an exasperated sigh. Of course he couldn't hear his earpiece down there, with his focus on Akamaru while they walked through the market. **Of course** he was cocky enough to leave the damn thing out while we were on our first assignment together. Why **wouldn't** he be? I bit my lip to keep from grumbling out loud, and looked around again until I found Shino. This time, I had to focus my vision so that I didn't see through people, just far off. I found him again. "Shino-kun, could you please send one of your kikaichu to get Kiba-kun's attention?"

"… Affirmative," came the reluctant reply. I raised an eyebrow at that before shrugging, and I turned my eyes again to watch Kiba as the bug Shino sent slipped onto his hand and gave him enough of a bite to get his attention. Since he didn't immediately swat it, I guess it wasn't hard enough to really hurt.

When the beetle started circling his pocket, Kiba finally put the earpiece in. "What is it?!" he demanded impatiently. "Akamaru's almost got him!"

"Have you smelled anything that might belong to a tea shop," I asked, impatience wearing on my nerves.

"Eh? Yeah, there's one a couple blocks behind me." He shrugged, and tried to shoo the beetle away. "How'd this thing find me, anyway? I mean, it's not like you could've told it where to go, Hinata-chan."

"That," Shino interjected, "would be because I planted a female kikaichu on each of you before the mission began. The males are able to track their counterparts by scent over—"he was cut off by Kiba's shouting.

"Dude! I told you yesterday, no tics, no fleas, nothing!" Kiba ripped the earpiece out and started swiping at the beetles more vigorously.

"They aren't tics nor fleas, they're beetles," Shino corrected with some irritation, before turning off his microphone as well. He sounded a little hurt under the temper, but there was an effort to mask it. I took a deep breath, deliberately ignored the kikaichu that I'd found on my own head with my magical see-through-my-own-skull vision, and went back to finding my target. With the others acting like… well, kids, I couldn't really depend on them too much, though I did take the time to let Shino know when I found his target sleeping under a tree.

I was waiting for another ten minutes without any sign of my target before the radio chirped in. "Hinata-san, your target is approaching Ichiraku Ramen," Shino explained, and I bit back another exhausted sigh.

"Faulty information in the scrolls, then?" I asked, moving from the tea shop's roof to find the stall. The time wasted wasn't helping my mood, but I tried to keep my tone civil. It wasn't Shino's fault the test was set up this way, after all.

"So it would seem. You sighted my target a fair distance from where the scroll said she would be as well," came the confirmation, a note of curiosity in his voice. "Did you not read where my target was meant to be located in the scroll as well?"

"I saw what your and Kiba-kun's targets looked like, but I didn't check the rest of the information, no," I admitted, biting my lip again. "Sorry, Shino-kun. Thank you for letting me know."

"I was simply repaying the favor." He cut out again, leaving me to my test. I was starting to get an idea of what it was all about, but if I was right, we'd already basically failed the important part. All that was left was salvaging the mess.

I diverted my path from Ichiraku, dropping in behind Kiba quietly, and tapped his shoulder. He jumped, but Akamaru in his arms hadn't turned from watching their target. They were sitting in a park, while their target played shogi with another elderly citizen in the shade of the trees there. "What do you want," Kiba asked grumpily.

"I know he didn't ask, but he's still our teammate. You should apologize and talk it out," I explained, once more restraining my tone.

"Why should I?" Kiba growled out the question, glaring at me. "He's the one infesting me with bugs!"

"He's our **teammate** , and he was trying to help. I don't have time for this, just… think about it." I jumped away again, bounding back on my trail towards Ichiraku.

Eventually, I actually found my target, a carpenter's apprentice named Ichiro. He was at Ichiraku for lunch, though it looked like the stall itself needed some repairs as well. I followed Ichiro for the rest of the test's time limit. To my eventual contentment, I heard Kiba and Shino exchanging apologies for stepping on each other's metaphorical toes.

Once the time passed, we gathered together to give our reports. Ichiro had been at Ichiraku Ramen for a couple of hours after my arrival, between eating and repairing the shop, after which he went to report to his master about the costs, materials and services involved.

Kiba had been following one of the best non-Nara shogi players in the village, and he complained as he listed off a few of the moves made at Kurenai's request. The old man stayed in the park for a while, before visiting with his grandchildren, and then finally he went shopping for something. Kiba glanced at Kurenai, then at me, before refusing to say what kind of store it was.

Last came Shino's report. It was, predictably, the most detailed; not just because of his meticulous personality, but also because he'd been sighted onto his target so quickly. Yamamura Mayumi was a merchant's daughter, and a merchant herself, specializing in the sale of beauty products made here in Konoha, primarily using herbal ingredients gathered by Genin in D-Rank missions. After her nap under the tree, Shino had observed her meeting with said Genin and accepting their collected goods, before turning around and selling those goods to craftsmen at just a slight profit over the cost for a D-Rank mission itself.

Kurenai listened to all of us, the mischievous smile I'd sighted at noon gracing her lips again. "It seems you got the idea… eventually. You're not just Genin, you're a team. You have to learn to communicate with each other and rely on one another in order to survive the harder missions you'll be sent on. While some pride as Konoha shinobi is to be expected, we as a village pride ourselves on our teamwork."

The genjutsu expert looked at each of us. "Shino, you need to learn to approach your teammates about these types of things before doing it. Forgiveness is not always better to ask than permission. Kiba, you can't let anger get the better of you on a mission, under any circumstances; you certainly can't let it make you shut the others out entirely. Hinata, while you did help mediate the problem, you took too long to do it. Part of a kunoichi's job is to act as the balance for her male teammates, to keep them on-task."

Each of us stood a little straighter as our name was called, but I narrowed my eyes at the nature of my reprimand. The first part, yes, I should've been quicker to act, but the second part? Hell no. It shouldn't have to be anyone's job, least of all every girl's, to keep her teammates in line. _Is_ _ **that**_ _why all the girls in the show gave such a weak showing?_ I was glaring at Kurenai before I realized it, but I didn't say anything. She was still my superior officer, after all.

Shino adjusted his glasses as Kiba scoffed, Akamaru rounding out the reactions with a whimper. Nobody said anything, each of us waiting for Kurenai's decision about the test. I managed to school my expression down into a flat, if somewhat disdainful, look, calling to mind the faces that the Hyuuga had made at me as I walked home with Neji yesterday.

Kurenai's grin shrank down a bit, though it didn't disappear entirely. "Despite that, you were all able to overcome your problems in the end. We'll be starting our missions tomorrow, so wake up early and have a good meal before you get here at 09:00. Dismissed." Kurenai vanished in a swirl of leaves, taking our mission scrolls with her.

"… I think I'd have preferred the scarecrow," I mumbled out loud, before turning to look at Kiba and Shino again. "I guess that means we pass. It wasn't the cleanest win, but maybe we should take care of that?"

"What would you have in mind," Shino asked, and I saw Kiba hesitating as Shino started before letting him take the lead in asking.

"I actually don't know that many of the restaurants in the area, but maybe we could see if there's a nice place that'll serve something for all of us? We can't just assume we'll all like the same things, after all," I added, stressing the last part, still feeling a little tetchy over the reprimands.

"I know somewhere we can go," Kiba said, nodding firmly. "There's a place called Yakuyama that's a little ways in. They mostly serve different kinds of meat, but they do have salads and sweets, and they allow pets in for sure, so it's perfect."

I looked over to Shino, and he considered for a moment before nodding as well. "Yakuyama will be our destination, then. Please lead the way, Kiba-san."


	4. Chapter 4

The walk to Yakuyama was fairly uneventful, since Kiba and Shino seemed content to stick to the ground rather than run the rooftops like I had during the mission. Since we weren't in a hurry, I was fine with it too. As we walked, I looked up towards the sky, using a hand to shade my eyes from the sun as I looked at the clouds. The weather here was pretty balanced, though I couldn't really guess the exact degrees; just warm enough to be comfortable with normal clothes, but cold enough to justify sweaters and jackets like most of the Genin wore. I decided to keep my own sweater where it was, since I didn't need it.

Once we got to Yakuyama, it was pretty clear why Kiba had known about the place. Most of the customers seemed to be Inuzuka or with one, with all the ninja dogs in the building. It wasn't a total hound show, but it was pretty clear who had influence here. Still, he did promise they'd have stuff for everyone, and if he was connected to the place we might get a discount.

We were brought over to an empty booth and sat down, with Shino by the window and me beside him on one side, while Kiba and Akamaru took the other side of the booth. When the waitress came around, Shino ordered a salad, while Kiba got some steak and asked for a dish for Akamaru. "I always make his food for him, so we just need something he can eat out of," he explained with a shrug.

I had to take a little longer to make my choice, eventually settling on a small bowl of rice with teriyaki chicken on top. I wanted to get something sweeter, but I could save that sort of thing for later. Right now, it was more important to get some real food, since I had to get something cheap and quick before the test.

We had some time to talk while we waited for our food, especially since it seemed the restaurant preferred to serve **fresh** meat. Fresh off the bone, into the oven, and onto your plate. Kiba was the one who started the conversation. "So, how do you think the others did with their tests? If we had it this rough it couldn't have been easy for the others."

"I'm sure they did fine," I said idly, thinking about it. With Kurenai and Kakashi as examples, it looked like the 'test' was more about teaching a lesson to the Genin than anything. 'Communication is vital,' 'Value your teammates,' things like that. They were also lessons that both teams needed; even if I weren't here, the original shy, closed-off and unconfident Hinata wouldn't have been able to handle things very well either. I had to wonder what sort of tests Asuma and Gai gave their teams.

From the look Kiba gave me, I had said something wrong. I looked over to Shino, only to see his eyebrow quirked at me questioningly. "Did I say something wrong?" I asked, looking back to Kiba.

"It's not what you said, it's what you didn't," Kiba explained, staring at me. "I was expecting you to start going on about Naruto again. Seriously, you've been weird since yesterday and now you don't even stop to think about him?"

"Indeed, it would seem that something is afoot," Shino added, his voice carefully neutral. "Perhaps you should explain now. Why, you might ask? Because if you do not, then we will only come to distrust you about less trivial matters. For us to cooperate, as Kurenai-sensei instructed, we must build a foundation of sharing such matters."

My gaze moved back and forth between the two of them, and for a brief moment my eyes landed on Akamaru as a small part of me hoped he'd save me from this. Akamaru, of course, did no such thing. He just looked at me like the others. "Since we graduated, I…" I fumbled a bit, trying to figure out how to explain the oddities away. "Well, I guess things changed. It might not mean as much to you, but I sort of woke up to a whole new world this morning. We're not just a bunch of kids pretending anymore, and even Kurenai-sensei won't be able to protect us completely if we go out on missions. I'm n-not saying we should be scared, but… well, I guess I had to grow up a little. Naruto-kun will be fine; he's a lot tougher than he looks, and he'll never really give up on something once he sets his mind to it."

Akamaru yipped something to Kiba, who nodded and leaned back against his seat a little. "I guess that kind of makes sense. You're getting all serious about this? It's about time. Still don't know what you see in that dead-last idiot, though."

"He never gives up," I repeated, laughing a little. "It's… it's a respectable thing, especially with how things have been for me lately. I can't really talk about it, but I needed someone to help me keep stable. I'm hoping I can help him too, eventually." _While I might not be crushing on him, God knows the boy needs some support right now._

"That would explain some oddities," Shino mumbled, "and your willingness to confront your own problems and attempt a more respectable approach to becoming a ninja is appreciated. However, I am not entirely convinced. Are you hiding something else from us?"

"Nn…" I stopped myself from refuting it outright. "I can't talk about all of it. Some of the problems are tied up in internal Clan matters, but I promise it won't affect either of you two. I just have a lot going on right now, so it kind of added up… hopefully whatever new me comes out of this is still someone you'll be okay working with."

Shino nodded quietly, and turned in his seat to think about it. Kiba was a little miffed, but he didn't seem angry at me. _Maybe he's just not a fan of clan politics and such?_ He was a pretty straightforward boy, so it made sense that he wouldn't like that kind of thing. Loyalty, pack mentality, and all of that might be stronger with Inuzuka too; messing with pack wouldn't really be cool by him, if that was right. I couldn't outright ask, though, and didn't really want to. The faster the subject moved to something less close to home, the better off I'd be.

After a while of just stewing in silence, I cleared my throat. "So, what are your dreams? We didn't really cover that yesterday, but knowing where each of us wants to end up is good too."

"For me there's really only one place to aim, and that's the very top!" Kiba said proudly, seemingly as glad for the new subject as I was to be rolling it along. "I'm going to become the Hokage someday."

"Then it would seem that you and Naruto will be rivals," Shino noted, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. "Because Naruto wishes to be Hokage as well. If his determination is as endless as Hinata suggests, then you may be in for some competition."

Kiba scoffed at this, but when he looked at me, I was just staring at him flatly. Naruto becoming Hokage was actually a lot more believable to me than Kiba was, having seen how they both grew up before. "Hey!" Kiba barked at my non-response. "Come on, you're my teammate! You have to support me on this, not him!"

"Sorry, Kiba-kun, but you have your work cut out for you. Never underestimate your opponent, unless you want to lose to them." I took a deep breath, and pressed on when he opened his mouth again. "Even if it's a 'dead-last' student; they have the most reason to try harder and pick up the slack later in life. The runt of the litter only learns to fight harder for his share, right?"

"… I guess you're right," Kiba admitted thoughtfully. "I'll have to give it my best when we meet up again, if I don't want to get embarrassed by him. So, what's your dream then, Hinata-chan?"

"Well… if you asked me a few days ago I probably would've just blushed and mumbled something," I admitted, with the canon Hinata in mind, "but I need to know more about the world before I can settle down and pick one goal." _Like finding out what that hand that grabbed me was, or why I'm here, or if I can ever go home again._

"There is much of the world that has yet to be discovered," Shino agreed with his more ponderous tone. "I believe that I would prefer to find new species of insects and new lands out in the world. Leaving my mark on history and advancing my clan in such a way would be most satisfying, I believe."

"Hah. So you brought it up, but you didn't even have an answer?" Kiba laughed at me, but I could tell he wasn't trying to bully me. "At least when we all grow up, I can send you and Shino-kun on missions to find stuff out for me."

After that, most of the conversation was light-hearted and humorous. Mostly an exchange of hobbies, some stories and a joke or two. Kiba did most of the talking, but Shino was surprisingly verbose about entomology and how different creatures could benefit shinobi living. Once we got our food we were quiet, eating to recover from the test. We had the afternoon and evening to ourselves, if we didn't have any other plans, so there wasn't anything to hurry or prepare for.

I felt Shino's gaze on me once the meal ended, though, and I looked at him with eyebrow raised.

"Hinata-san, it seems that what Kurenai said about kunoichi at the end of our debriefing bothered you. While each person has their own role in a system like Konoha, I believe that how we are born should not exclusively define how we should serve. Indeed, the assumption that Kiba-san and I would **need** a dedicated mediator on our team merely because we are boys grates on me as well. Because of this, I will endeavor to avoid such issues in the future, so that each of us can serve as best we are able."

My heart lifted a bit at this, and Kiba stammered a bit before letting out a noise of agreement. "Right, we shouldn't be making anyone babysit us, especially if you've got all that going on in your life already. It's like you said, we all have to grow up now that we're Genin, right? Don't worry about us."

"Thanks, Shino-kun, Kiba-kun," I answered gratefully, letting out a sigh of relief.

After lunch we went our separate ways again. I watched Kiba and Shino leave, then went for a walk around the village again. I wasn't really eager to head back home, or back to the antagonism that the other Hyuuga sent my way. It was just looks, but the pressure people could exert with 'just looks' was honestly unreal.

So, instead of going through that again right away, I wanted to find somewhere to relax. I didn't really know anyone's addresses or favorite hangouts, and the only places I did know about weren't really places you'd go to casually—the Academy and the Hokage Tower. Even if I did know where anyone was, I wasn't really anyone's friend yet, either. Eventually, I decided I'd try my luck with finding the library, and anyone inside it.

I played with my chakra and some leaves as I walked, trying to get them to stick to my fingertips, as a warm-up for the eventual tree-walking exercise. Since Hyuuga were so dependent on their tenketsu and Byakugan with the clan fighting style, chakra control was something I'd have to build up as soon as possible. I had to get rid of those leaves when I got there, but it was a good start despite the numerous slip-ups that left leaves drifting or bursting into dust.

The library was mostly empty when I got there, with just one or two people reading alone at their tables, aside from the librarians working behind the desk. _I guess school is still in session for thee younger years, after all,_ I reasoned, looking through the selection of books. The library wasn't ninja-exclusive, so there were all kinds of guides and subjects, rather than being a jutsu archive.

I was browsing the shelves for a while before I found something I couldn't ignore. Jammed into one of the shelves was a book with Jiraiya's name on it, but it wasn't burning orange or marked with the Icha Icha series name. Instead, it was an old copy of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, bound in a plain brown with a plain beige cover. I carefully took it off the shelf, before heading to one of the tables to read over it.

This was the book that much of the later plot revolved around, with how it defined and was defined by Nagato's own efforts to bring peace to the world. Despite that, it was apparent to see just how much of it was built on Jiraiya's experiences with Tsunade and Orochimaru, and after the prologue it was that connection, and the parallels with Team Seven, that really summed up what the book was about. Still, it made an interesting read, and I had to wonder why people hadn't bought it. Maybe the idea of having to fight for peace had become a distant notion for most, when Minato had brought the latest Shinobi World War to a close years ago?

My discontent sigh at that possibility was met with an amused snort, and I looked up. I had to hide my disappointment with who I saw, not because it wasn't any of the main characters—that sort of expectation was ridiculous when none of them but Sakura and maybe Shino were really bookworms to begin with. It was because just for a second, I was expecting to see one of my friends from back in my world.

Instead of the wild-haired girl who laughed any time she saw me lost in my manga, though, it was a teenage girl a couple years my senior, with her long black hair tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing a green shirt and blue slacks, without any forehead protector in sight to mark her as a ninja. I raised an eyebrow at her amusement, getting a shrug back. "Sorry, Hyuuga-san, but I was just surprised someone as—er, priveleged as you would want to read something like that."

It took a few seconds to figure out how to respond to that. "I don't really think The Utterly Gutsy Shinobi's something that would be limited by class or rank. Everyone needs a reminder of what we're all fighting for once in a while."

Another amused snort came from the elder girl, and she sat down across from me. "Yeah, but it's so cheesy, isn't it?" She sounded a bit... conceited? "You could probably afford something better with your pocket change."

 _Ah. It's like that. Not Amber, but Richard,_ I mused, comparing the girl before me to the friends I left behind. _Brave, with a bit of a grudge against those more privileged. The difference between civilian and ninja might factor in too._ I took my time thinking about it, a nostalgic joy rising at the subtle irritation behind her eyes. "Even if I bought every book in Konoha, I wouldn't find one I respect as much as this one," I decided firmly.

This time I couldn't hide the smirk on my face as she frowned indecisively. I missed this, honestly, just finding someone like Richard who wore his heart on his sleeve and getting such nice reactions out of him just by deadpanning a silly line.

I had to wait a while for the girl's response, but every second just kept me smiling as I watched her expression shift from emotion to emotion. Confusion, disbelief, focus, more confusion, and then an amusement that matched my own. "Did you really mean that?" she asked, trying to manage a neutral tone and failing.

"Of course," I answered just as resolutely as before. "The character Naruto in this book, along with his teammates, aren't just walking stereotypes or anything like that. I can tell how much effort the author put into this, and I'm sad that it didn't sell nearly as well as it could have. The message about never giving up on your friends and the future is worth remembering, too."

"That's easy for you to say, isn't it? Hyuuga-san, try and think about how it is when you can't fight off everyone who's threatening your friends." The girl was drumming her fingers on the table, looking at me more intensely now. _A personal matter?_

"That's why shinobi exist. We're not just mercenaries, we're supposed to fight and die for our village, our people. We fight so you don't have to. But we can't do everything. There are things a non-ninja can do that ninja can't. With our status, we can't even really act in favor of one political movement or another without our motives being suspicious, and our training and missions mean we don't have time for other things in life. The clans have shops run by civilian clan members, too; not everything about us is ninja and birthright."

I could tell I hadn't convinced her, the way she was looking at me. She didn't press the subject, but moved on to something else. "Why didn't that book sell, anyway? I mean... if it's as big a deal as you say and all."

"The author, Jiraiya-sama, had gone through two wars by the time he wrote this. The generation he wrote for was getting used to peace that had been bought in blood long ago. If the future and the past both look sunny, who cares about a book warning you about stormy weather?" I held the book in question up as I spoke. "The people who would've been most likely to buy it were probably kids or non-ninja looking for something heroic, and there's some darker themes further into the book that might've repelled them, too. I guess it just hit the wrong audience." _Too close to real life, too far to be relevant, for this world at least._

"And you're not looking at that same sunny future, Hyuuga-san?" she inquired, her eyes focused again.

"I just don't want to take that blood-stained peace for granted." Orochimaru was less than a year away. Less than a year to get up to Chunin level.

The ponytailed girl paused again, before nodding, apparently deciding something. "My name's Sato Akira, Hyuuga-san. It's nice to meet you. Maybe we can talk again another day?"

"Sure. I'm Hyuuga Hinata. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sato-san." I bowed lightly, despite that she hadn't, wanting to avoid any faux pas.

"Right. I'll see you later then, Hyuuga-san." Sato waved goodbye, before heading out with some books under her arm. I stayed for a while after that, finishing up my reading and helping to tidy up the library a bit before I left as well.

 _Author's Note: This seemed like the most appropriate time to end this chapter, so here we are. Now I'm going to pose a question to the readers, since I'm not entirely sure how to proceed with things from this point. Would you like to keep going as we have been, seeing most of what goes on during each of Hinata's days, or would you like to skip ahead to something more relevant to ninja life i.e. D-Ranks and getting to the eventual first C-Rank sooner? PM or comment in a review if you want to answer this, otherwise I'll decide and start writing on my own. This chapter was already delayed trying to decide on that._


	5. Chapter 5

After leaving the library, there was still a lot of time left in the day. It was a surprise to think about, how long the day can be without things like anime, manga, and friends to while the hours away. What sort of things did the characters get up to in order to pass time, again? _Well, it's not like that makes for good TV, so they probably didn't show much besides training, or a few chats here and there. The data books probably had more, but I didn't read those._

I sighed softly, and jumped up to the rooftops again. A look over the village around made it apparent where the ninja that preferred traveling this way had been. Footprints and scuff marks shows landing points and walls that had been used for leverage or to change momentum, and there were dents or bends in overly-stressed railings, just to start with. Despite that, there was effort to keep the pathways clean and in repair, too. Some of those same railings had been replaced, judging by the wear and tear of exposure set next to unmarred metal. Since the higher-ranking ninja, such as the ANBU, liked to perch high and move in from above, it would've been necessary to keep everything in good repair to keep the work flowing smoothly.

Stepping back from examining the close details like that, the view of the village itself was astounding. There were so many buildings, and more people than I'd really expected at first. I stood there for a while, soaking it all in. Sure, there was a lot of danger in this world, but if there was ever a place to be stuck, this would be it. Mostly-modern quality of life, better than modern medical care with healing jutsu, good people... it was pretty nice if you could survive long enough. Thinking about it made the idea of fighting for these people, fighting for their peace, more appealing. It wasn't going to be enough to survive, or to just try to nudge people into small changes.

 _Well, I'm not going to make any progress on that just standing here, am I?_ I started running, feeling the wind rush by and moving from rooftop to rooftop. The movements still weren't that refined, but with a path already laid out it wasn't that hard to figure out where I could go to get around. On top of that, I could try to use chakra to enhance each movement or trick. Just a few steps of chakra-based wall-walking here and there could help when it came to actually trying the exercise itself, just so long as I worked my way up in chakra used carefully.

The run went on for a while, and the wind whipping around me as I went felt amazing while it lasted, but eventually it ended when I saw a familiar pink and red down below. Looking at the surroundings, I spotted the Yamanaka flower shop nearby, which was where Sakura was going. _Going to brag about being on Sasuke's team?_ She probably wasn't in the mood after getting insulted by him yesterday, but that hadn't shaken her enough to change her approach, and at this point Ino and Sakura were still pretty antagonistic.

Ino walked out a few seconds later, and I carefully dropped down from the rooftop I'd been on to ground level, so I could watch and listen easier. Sure enough, when Sakura started talking, she was sounding smug enough that it was like she'd completely forgotten the incident from the previous day. "So how'd things go with your team, Ino-pig?"

"It went just fine," Ino answered petulantly, "and don't think you've won just because Sasuke-kun's on your team! After all, it just means he'll get that much more of a look at your massive forehead," she said, pointing at her own brow with her thumb as she whipped out the overused insult in response to Sakura's own.

"If that's what you think, you're wrong! He hasn't said anything about that even once!" _Probably because he hasn't said **anything** to you since yesterday, right?_ "I'll just ask him for some **personal training** next time we meet, and then..." she trailed off, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"Ha! A bookworm like you will never be able to get Sasuke alone like that!" Ino growled, and they kept insulting each other for a while before Sakura wandered off. Ino sighed as she left, before looking around and spotting me. "Oh, hey there Hinata-chan. I didn't expect you to stick around for all of that."

"I wanted to make sure it didn't get any worse than usual," I explained, walking over to her. "Since you and Sakura-san can get pretty enthusiastic about your rivalry sometimes..." I shrugged, not really sure how else to finish that.

Ino nodded in understanding despite that, and then her eyes lit up. "Hey, you're still trying to get Naruto's attention, right? Come on into the shop and we'll see if I can set something up for you. I don't really get why you'd like him and not Sasuke-kun, but I can't complain. One less person I have to worry about." Her tone was a bit bitter at the last, and I smiled softly to try and reassure her. _Since Sakura **did** cut off their friendship over Sasuke, that's probably still a bit of a sore point, isn't it?_

"I don't need any flowers, but thank you, Ino-san." I paused, thinking about how to handle this. "I was wondering, though. Since your father is the head of your clan, wouldn't that make you the heir? Marrying into another clan, even a clan of one, might be difficult."

"You'd think that with most clans, but it's a little different with the Yamanaka clan," Ino explained, guiding me into Yamanaka Flowers despite what I'd said. I followed along, curious. "We're focused on our clan techniques and sensor abilities, so whoever the strongest sensor is would be more likely to inherit. Dad still wants me to try for it, but like you said, being the heir would get in the way of being with Sasuke-kun."

"Ahh," I intoned, nodding. I paused again, only speaking when Ino raised an eyebrow at me. "I think Sasuke-san would like someone who's able to fight and defend herself, not just someone who looks pretty."

"Oh? Why would you know about something like that? You're always watching Naruto, right?" Ino's tone turned suspicious, and I took a deep breath. _Tread carefully._

"Sasuke-san is Naruto-kun's rival, even if Sasuke-san hasn't realized Naruto-kun thinks of him that way. But even if Naruto-kun was Dead Last in our class, Sasuke-san still rose up to his challenges in class, right? Because Naruto-kun always tried his hardest. It's not really the same thing, but it seems like being able to fight is more likely to get his attention to start with."

"Huh..." Ino nodded, accepting the explanation. "So that's what you were getting at, then? Sakura was going on about getting 'personal training' from Sasuke-kun. You think someone who doesn't need training at all would be better off? I guess that **would** make sense after what happened to his family." She mumbled the last part, but she was looking conflicted.

"Right," I answered with a firm nod. "Just consider it next time you meet up with Shikamaru-san and Chouji-san, if nothing else."

Ino shrugged, still looking a bit conflicted. Even if she didn't choose to follow my advice, at least she'd have a chance. "Enough about the boys," Ino decided, surprising me. "How's your team doing? Things were pretty rough today for mine. Asuma-sensei can be pretty rough when he wants to."

"I don't really like Kurenai-sensei," I admitted, sitting down on a bench in the store while Ino rearranged some of the flowers on the shelves. "I guess some of it's just Konoha tradition, but traditions aren't always right. Shino-kun and Kiba-kun aren't really happy with how today went either, I think, so we're all going to try harder."

"Tradition can be pretty important," Ino countered lightly. "But if you mean the one I think you do, I get why you wouldn't like it. We're not just counters for the machismo the boys put out, we're supposed to be ninja too. Though, with Shikamaru and Chouji, it's more like I have to bully them into doing anything."

I chuckled at that, and leaned back against my seat. "If you can get them into whatever you're doing, though, at least you all mesh together pretty well. That should let you focus more on what you want to do. Shino-kun, Kiba-kun and I are going to try to get to the point where we don't need one person acting as the team's center all the time."

"That's good! Hopefully it'll all work out." Ino shifted a few more flowers, before turning to look at me. "So, Hinata-chan, what sort of flowers do you like?"

"I said I don't need to buy any," I reiterated, raising an eyebrow, only to get steamrolled by Ino.

"I didn't ask if you're buying anything, I want to know what sort of flowers you like. You came and tried to help me out, so we're friends, and I want to get you something. Flowers aren't just for love, after all."

I let out a soft sigh, unable to stop the thought of _Troublesome_ as it passed through my mind. "Well, I guess I like... lilies?"

Ino raised an eyebrow at the uncertain answer, and my cheeks warmed a little as I considered what might be going through her mind. _Right, Japan used flowers as a euphemism for same-sex love, didn't it?_ I kept quiet, not wanting to acknowledge the euphemism more than I had to.

"Lilies, huh. I might have something in the back." Ino left, looking more thoughtful than she had during the discussion about Sasuke. I sat there looking at the floor, my face heating up more as I drowned in embarrassment.

I was still blushing when Ino came back, but before I could explain anything she cut me off. "It's just flowers, right? If you mean it like **that** I'll just take it as a compliment. You already know I've got my eyes on Sasuke, and you and Naruto... well, whatever happens with that happens. I'll root for you whoever you decide to go after, okay?"

I sighed again, and wordlessly accepted the potted lily she handed me, finding a card with proper care instructions attached. "Thank you, Ino-san."

"Don't worry about it, Hinata-chan," she answered happily, ignoring the quiet frustration in my tone. She probably had lots of practice since she had to deal with Shikamaru. "So... Do you **actually** like Naruto? Or was that some kind of cover?"

I stood up, and looked Ino in the eyes. "Ino-san, I appreciate your support, but please don't spread any rumors about me. If you're looking for gossip, just... pick something else. I don't want to end up being the talk of the town over this." _God above, I really don't want to know how Hiashi would react to finding out people were talking about me that way, let alone whatever his reaction to the idea itself is._

"Don't worry about that sort of thing. We're friends, like I said, so I've got your back." Ino waved off the concern, shaking her head. "Just answer the questions already."

I groaned helplessly at this, not wanting to brush her off so soon since we'd just become friends, apparently. "Naruto-kun has a lot of respectable points that nobody really notices, but I don't think I like him **that** way. If I did before, things are changing, and if not, then I admire his resolve and dedication. Okay? I don't really have my eyes on anyone romantically yet."

"Okay." Ino nodded, seeming comfortable in control of the conversation. "If you end up finding someone you like, let me know and I'll set you up. We don't have that many girl ninja our age, so you might have to look up a few years."

Tenten came to mind, and I stifled a laugh at the idea. She was cute, but she also was crushing on Neji, so that could end badly. But then again, she really **was** cute, and she had a nice personality in the filler, even if she didn't get much panel time in the manga proper...

"Ha! You've already got someone in mind?" Ino's question pulled me out of my thoughts, making me jump in surprise. "I guess you're not really sure yet, though, from the look on your face a couple seconds ago."

"Ehh... maybe? I'll let you know if something changes," I promised, hoping I wouldn't regret it. "She's kind of cute, but we haven't actually talked yet, so..."

Ino's eyes were practically shining with amusement. "Cute, huh? Tell me more."

"I can't really say much yet. She's my cousin's teammate, and she''s been looking at him kind of like how you look at Sasuke-san."

"Ouch. One of your clan is going to end up being your rival, then," Ino muttered, as if my pursuing romance with Tenten was a foregone conclusion. "That'll make things harder at home."

 _More than you know_ , I thought, holding back the urge to snark at her out loud over it. "Neji-niisan is the Sasuke-san of his class, as well," I said instead, enjoying the surprised look I got in response.

"Wait, really? Your cousin can't possibly be that cute! Sasuke-kun's one of a kind!" Ino was practically shouting, though it wasn't angry.

"It's not that strange an idea that every class has a heartthrob, is it? Someone most of the girls end up liking." _Sasuke, Neji, Kakashi, probably Orochimaru, Itachi and a few others. Big surprise, they all have major emotional problems too._ "Konoha has a lot of cute, pretty and handsome ninja for both sexes, so it's really **not** that far-fetched."

"Yeah, yeah, but Sasuke-kun is..." Ino gestured wildly, as if flailing her arms would explain everything that made up Sasuke's charm. "Anyway! If your cousin really is the closest thing to Sasuke-kun in his class like you said, you'll have your work cut out for you. It shouldn't be impossible, though, if she swings both ways."

"I guess we'll see some day, Ino-san," I said noncommittally. If I had my way, there wouldn't ever be a part 2 to this conversation.

"Come on, Hinata-chan, you've gotta have more faith than that if you want to get her! Weren't you just saying how you respected Naruto for his dedication?"

 _Ino in shipping mode is an unstoppable force_ ,I decided, _even if the ship isn't herself and Sasuke_. "Ino-san, I'm not even sure if I really feel that way about her yet. Just give me some time, alright?"

"Aw, alright," Ino said disappointedly, filling my heart with relief. "You still have to let me know what happens, but you probably should take some time to be sure of yourself. And make sure when she **does** talk to you, it's when you're at your best! Get your hair done, wear your best clothes, all of it!"

 _Still convinced it'll happen_. I nodded, letting her get it out of her system. At least she wasn't upset at the idea of me liking girls. That would **not** have been fun. "I'll be sure to show Tenten-san my best," I said, the name slipping out on accident.

"Tenten?" Ino raised an eyebrow. "Even her name's kind of cute, huh?" She laughed a little, making me blush again. "Alright. I'll let you get on with your day, Hinata-chan. Make sure that lily of yours gets lots of sunshine and water, alright?"

"I'll make sure I take good care of it, Ino-san." I left the flower shop, sticking to the streets this time as I started walking home. A quick glance up showed that it was getting pretty late in the day, even if it wasn't quite close to sundown yet. I had time to get back without any issues, at least. _I wouldn't have pinned Ino as being so excited to play cupid, but here we are._

Once I got back home, I went straight to my room, ignoring the looks from the other clan members. After a good day, they just didn't seem to have the same impact. The lily got a place on my desk, right next to the window, and I went over the instructions card to make sure it would be alright if I went training for a while; sure enough, it just needed a little water first.

The flower cared for, I went back out of the house to look for the clan's training ground. Using the Byakugan made finding them a trivial task, and nobody was using them right now, so that simplified things a bit. The grounds were next to the meeting hall, though, which wasn't really the most comforting thing to have nearby. Walking there was pretty peaceful, with my mood buoyed against the scowls around me, and I took a moment to check my condition before settling in to train. _Still running hot with chakra, and my muscles feel fine too since I took a break with Ino. Hinata and the others really are a world apart from how I was back home, I guess._

Standing alone under the late-day sun, I started going through movements again. It wasn't so totally guided by instinct after the demonstration against Hiashi; the way he'd pushed me forced me to realize what I'd been doing wrong as I was doing it, adjusting my stance and technique to account for a real enemy. I hadn't realized it at the time, but as I went from motion to motion, the corrections he'd beaten in came to mind again and again. It wasn't the standard movements for Gentle Fist, but it was a solid foundation anyway.

With these new adjustments, the flow from attack to defense and back again felt more natural and clean. Just the same way, now that I knew some of what was wrong at the start, I could work out more of what I could do to improve. It wasn't a lot, but a little change here and there would make a world of difference in a real fight.

The enemies ahead came to mind again, and I decided to try and work out how to handle each one. I had a good idea of the concepts, at least, for each of the Gentle Fist techniques, among others, and knowing what the enemies would probably use meant I could put together a basic idea of what it would be like to fight them.

 _Kabuto and Orochimaru are probably the ones I'll run into first._ At that I froze up for a second, the train of thought speeding along. _Wait, that's right! Kabuto's still spying on Konoha, since the Chunin exams haven't happened yet._ With that in mind, Kabuto was probably the most immediate threat. I settled back into my starting stance, running through his big things for fighting at this point, using the battle with Tsunade as the big source.

 _High medical ninja expertise, using his Chakra Scalpel as a weapon, and messing up an enemy's nervous system. Some basic earth jutsu, and the biggest thing, regeneration._ If it wasn't for the last one, I could just work on using the Gentle Fist technique Vacuum Palm, throwing invisible bursts of energy at him from a distance. If he burrowed underground, the Byakugan would track him easily enough. With quick regen, though, that meant letting him have **any** time to heal meant I'd probably lose a battle of attrition.

 _On the other hand, fighting him up close won't be that different from fighting other Hyuuga,_ I realized as I blasted chakra through the training post in a palm strike, eyes widening slightly at the realization. _Either one, you can't let the enemy touch you at all or you might lose in an instant._ So I had plenty of chances to practice evasion, even if I'd have to adjust for the fighting style differences later. _The most important part will be not getting hit. Then, I'll need an attack that can hurt him faster than he can heal._ That went for Orochimaru too, since he had some ways to regenerate his body too.

After a while of hitting the post and dancing around imaginary attacks, I had to take a break. I sat down on the wooden walkway nearby, leaning back a bit and letting the Byakugan slide back into its natural shape. Hearing footsteps nearby, I looked over my shoulder and stood up quickly to bow at the sight of Hiashi.

"So now you remember your manners," Hiashi said with some... amusement? He smirked at the confused look on my face, continuing. "While I appreciate your having grown some backbone lately, that doesn't excuse you from showing proper respect to me. Understood?"

"Yes, Honored Father," I mumbled, biting back the urge to sigh.

Hiashi nodded slightly in acknowledgment of the apology. "You need to act with dignity and grace at all times, if you're going to represent the Hyuuga Clan. It's even more important, if you're going to become the heiress again."

"I understand, Honored Father. I will try to be more cautious of such matters in the future."

Another nod, and Hiashi's focus shifted away as I raised my head. Following his gaze brought mine back to the training post I'd been using. "Your forms are cleaning up nicely. Since you **are** putting in the effort to learn how to fight properly, I think that it would be remiss of me to neglect teaching you some of the Main Family's techniques. As your father, such training is my responsibility."

"And it saves you from spending more time on paperwork," I joked, before I could stop it from slipping out.

"Indeed," Hiashi answered with a slight tone of humor returning to his voice. "And I think I'll want a break from my paperwork," he continued with a teasing tone I didn't think he was capable of, "around the time that your first C-Rank mission is completed. If you perform well enough on that mission, that is. Hokage-sama or your Sensei will inform you on the particulars of mission ranks, but that will be a sufficient measure of your skill and dedication. In the meantime, consider which of our secret arts you will want to learn."

"Thank you, Honored Father. I will not squander this kindness," I promised, the gratefulness sincere. Not having to reinvent the wheel like Neji had would probably save a lot of time just trying to put the jutsu together, even with the understanding I had of them.

"I should hope not. I'll have some servants prepare a bath for you before supper." He walked away, apparently considering that a sufficient way of saying goodbye.

 _I guess I have been training and running most of the day,_ I thought with a sigh, thinking about the implications of what he'd said as his farewell. _A bath does sound nice, though. Today's been way too busy._ I rested for a little while longer, before getting up to go take that bath. It was just as soothing as I'd expected, but I didn't linger there longer than I had to. _Note to self, visit a hot spring some time._

A fresh change of clothes later and it was time for dinner. The fare was a lot more traditional Japanese foods than I'd expected, though there wasn't much seafood aside from typical sushi pieces. The meal was quiet, with just Hiashi, Hanabi and myself at the table. Hanabi was looking more tired than she had around this time yesterday, and confirmed that when she left to go to bed early. I gave her a smile as she left, and she ducked out quickly, smiling herself. A little while after that, I left too, heading back to my room.

I laid down, making sure to set my alarm early so there wouldn't be a repeat of this morning. _Maybe I'll have time to get some reading or training in before Kurenai comes to get us for our mission._ Considering what sort of things we might end up doing in those D-Rank missions kept my mind busy until I drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

When I woke up in the morning, there was still part of me that was hoping I'd wake up back at home, but it was easier to accept the reality of my situation on the second pass. I got up and put on another set of blue and black clothes, before looking at the beige sweater hanging in my closet. Leaving it behind altogether was tempting, but I didn't want to end up suffering for it if things got colder than expected. In the end, I tied it around my waist like I had the day before, and went down to breakfast.

The morning meal was just as quiet as the evening had been, though Hanabi was looking better, at least. When we had all finished our meals, Hiashi spoke. "Today is the first day that you will be taking missions for the village, Hinata. You will be representing the Clan and Village as an adult." He paused, letting the importance of what he'd said sink in a bit. "I admit that the elders and I had not expected you to make it far before, but your show of progress and change of late has begun to challenge expectations. I suppose what I mean to say is... Good luck."

Hanabi nodded firmly, before adding, "Good luck, Onee-chan. I hope you'll tell me all about it when you get back?"

I laughed a little, tension I hadn't realized was building up washing away at the surprisingly comfortable and familial atmosphere. "I doubt that the first few missions will be anything worth talking about, Hanabi-chan. I won't take them lightly," I added quickly, glancing at Hiashi, then returning focus to Hinata's sister, "but I'm probably going to be doing work around the village. Genin need to get used to their teammates before we can go into the field properly."

"So you already knew?" Hiashi asked, eyebrow raised. "Most children seem to have this idea that all ninja are given missions to defend princesses and topple tyrants, from the day they receive their forehead protector."

"Well, most probably do think that," I answered carefully, "but I wouldn't trust my classmates to protect Hanabi-chan from Iruka-sensei, let alone a foreign ninja of your level, Honored Father. Since that's the case, I wouldn't expect to be on such a mission myself, either."

"An interesting example." Hiashi nodded slowly, before rising up. "Then, even if it is not the most dignified work, complete it to the best of your ability as one of the Hyuuga's Main Family. Good luck, and good day to you both. I must go resume my eternal war against paperwork." He walked away, and I could hear him chuckling to himself as he went down the hall.

Hanabi raised an eyebrow at that, but I could only smile with my amusement. "Hanabi-chan, are classes going well for you?"

"Y-yes, Onee-chan," came the answer, as Hanabi jumped a bit at the words pulling her out of her confused focus. "Well, there is one thing that I haven't talked with Father about..."

"What is it, Hanabi-chan?" _If I remember right, she had some trouble with Konohamaru, and he'd already been around Naruto by now. Or was that trouble just from fanfics? I can't remember._

Hanabi confirmed my guess right away. "There's a boy in my class who seems to have no self-control, despite being from one of the most honored clans in the village. Onee-chan said that we should be ourselves before we worry about being heirs, but he's taking it way too far."

"Konohamaru after all, then," I mumbled, surprising Hanabi again. "He's a different case from either of us. The way he acts isn't exactly right, but it's not all wrong either. Being related to Hokage-sama has its own difficulties. Honored Father is already busy with paperwork and clan business often, but Hokage-sama has to manage paperwork and clan business for the entire village, so he doesn't have any time to spend with his family."

A look of revelation passed over Hanabi's face, eyes wide and mouth open for a few seconds. "Oh, so Sarutobi-san is like Uzumaki-san, then."

"E-eh? Well, I guess that's a good comparison, but how do you know about Naruto-kun, Hanabi-chan?"

"Onee-chan spends a lot of time watching him," Hanabi answered. _And Hanabi spends a lot of time watching Hinata?_ I guessed mentally, letting her continue. "I couldn't figure out why, but that does help to understand Sarutobi-san. Thank you, Onee-chan." Hanabi bowed shortly over the table.

"It's no trouble, Hanabi-chan." I deliberately avoided answering why I, or rather Hinata, had been following Naruto. "Is there anything else?"

Hanabi shook her head quickly. "No, it's all okay aside from that. Onee-chan."

I got up from my seat and walked over, patting Hanabi on the head. "I'm glad to hear it, Hanabi-chan. I can't keep my team waiting, but I want to hear about how your training goes today."

"Right. Onee-chan..." Hanabi drifted off, uncertainty crossing her face, followed by a calm certainty. "Good luck."

"Thank you, Hanabi-chan." I gave her another pat before heading out from the house and Hyuuga district, heading out to the training ground that we'd met at yesterday.

I was the first one there, to my surprise. A quick check of the clock showed why—I'd arrived about an hour early! _Well, better early than late, I guess._ With time to spare, I decided to do some stretches and light exercise. Even if we weren't going to be doing strenuous work by Genin standards, Hinata was pretty flexible, and I couldn't let an asset like that go to waste.

Testing the limits of my body was pretty interesting, when I was consistently outperforming anything I could've done before. It was another thing to adjust to—finding my new limits so I didn't underestimate or overestimate what I could do. Between that and the fact that I got the chance to try and help people out here, it definitely wasn't all bad being in this world, though I was starting to miss my friends. Meeting Sato yesterday both did and didn't help that problem.

I was warmed up, limber and ready to roll by the time everyone else arrived. Kiba and Akamaru were the first to get there, followed by Shino a little while later. We had a few minutes to ourselves, just relaxing in the sun, before Kurenai stepped out of the shadows to greet us.

"Good morning, team. Good to see that everyone's on time today." Kurenai smiled at us, looking us over. "We'll be going in to get our first mission as a team today, so I'll be going over the mission rank system before we go to visit Hokage-sama's office." Kiba leaned in, and even Shino seemed to perk up a little at the incoming information, while I just leaned against a training post, ready to check what she said against what I knew already.

"Now that you're Genin, we're going to be doing missions together. Not all missions are glorious or glamorous, though." Kurenai settled into a comfortable stance, using a lecturing tone not unlike a normal teacher's. "As apprentice-level ninja, Genin are given these less-than-ideal tasks to help build up money, experience, and a stable reputation among the people."

"So we're not gonna be going out and kicking butt," Kiba grumbled, disappointment clear in his tone as his shoulders slumped. "I mean, I guess it makes sense. Akamaru and I had to work really hard before we could fight together as well as we do, but couldn't we get the practice for that doing some real work?"

"This **is** real work, Kiba," Kurenai admonished gently. "We're not just soldiers with fancy powers; we're shinobi. That means we do whatever we have to for the sake of our village and family. Nothing's too low, as long as it doesn't break our moral standards. Your clan has to hire Genin to take the dogs for walks sometimes, don't they? Why do they do that?"

Kiba grumbled a bit, before answering. "Everyone's busy training and doing missions and stuff, so there's never enough people around to keep all the dogs in shape. Some of them need someone keeping an eye on them too, so they don't wander off." He sighed. "I was just hoping..."

I put a hand on Kiba's shoulder, interrupting him. "Don't worry, Kiba-san. You'll have your chance to shine. They won't keep us doing this sort of thing for too long."

"Yeah, I guess." Kiba kept sulking, his mood only picking up once we got close to the Hokage's Tower. Crap mission or not, he was still glad to be working at all, I guessed. Shino hadn't said anything, but maybe he was used to tedious work anyway? He had to breed and maintain his colony, after all.

We didn't have to wait long to meet with the Hokage, walking through the door to the office as a pair of older ninja left. More ninjas of different ranks and ages were here and there, while Iruka beamed at us from one side of the room. The Hokage himself was sitting at the central desk, smiling at us. "Good morning, Team Eight. I'm glad to see that you all made it through your trials, and to truly welcome you into the ranks of Konoha's ninja."

Each of us bowed in response to his attention, earning a small chuckle from the kindly old leader. "Yes, well, I suppose it's on to business then. For most missions above D-Rank, one of the workers here or I will assign you to a task directly. For D-Rank missions, however, it is normal to choose from a list of available missions each day." He picked a scroll up off the desk, unrolling it. "There have been a few teams in today, but you still have plenty to choose from. Some errand runs for council members, a delivery to a neighboring village, helping dig for the local farms, herding livestock..." the list went on for a while.

Once the Hokage had finished speaking, Kurenai made her choice for our first mission, which was running errands for the council. We got a list of chores that needed doing, then left.

I looked over the list of chores, thinking them over. _Picking up laundry from the laundromat, buying groceries, moving packages... doesn't look like any of the packages are fragile. That's good._ I looked up from the list to my teammates. _Council members would probably know at least the basic concept behind the Aburame family style, and Kiba and Akamaru would get fur on the clothes, so..._ "I'll handle the grocery shopping. Kiba-san, Akamaru-kun, please take care of the packages. Shino-san, please handle the laundry." We split up the list, wrote down address details, and took off while Kurenai supervised.

A couple more missions followed, with about the same unimpressive and simple nature, but we were establishing a good record to start with, so it wasn't **that** bad. It was boring, but it was best compared to credit in the world I came from; it seemed pointless until you **needed** a good reputation and record to get something important done.

Once the misssions were done, Kiba spoke up. "So, mom wants you all to come by my house next week for dinner. She says she wants to meet you all and stuff. Is Monday good for you guys?" Shino nodded, and I did too—nothing had been mentioned, anyway. "Great!"

I paused after that, looking at the others. "What day is today, again?"

"It's Thursday, the twentieth of March," Shino answered.

 _About the same as it would be back home then._ "Alright. Thanks, Shino-san." I smiled as I thanked him, tucking away my curiosity about what the dog-nin family would be serving and what it'd be like for the time being. "I'll have to let Father know, but I think it'll be fine."

"Awesome! I'll see you guys later, then." Kiba ran off with Akamaru, shouting something about training for a new technique. _Please don't be dynamic marking. Please._

Shino and I stood there awkwardly for a bit, not really sure what to talk about. Eventually he decided to leave, mentioning that it was almost time to do something related to his insect breeding program, leaving me to my own devices. I wasn't alone for long, though.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" I turned as I heard the energetic voice calling out to me. Naruto was running over through the crowd, waving at me as he approached. Once he came over he hesitated for a second, then smiled brightly. "So, how've you been, Hinata-chan? You've been acting pretty weird lately."

"Weird?" At first it felt kind of rude, honestly, especially with how forcefully he was trying to sound familiar by calling me '-chan,' but then I stopped to think about it. This was Naruto, after all. Class clown because nobody paid attention to him, taking negative attention over none at all. Orphaned, without any social skills because of it. The series made humor from the results, but it was still what it was. With that in mind, I took a deep breath and just took the statement without malice. "I guess I haven't really been acting how I used to, no. Would you like to get some ramen while we talk?"

The smile that answered my suggestion was positively **radiant**. He barely even bothered to answer, instead grabbing onto my arm and dragging me through the streets. "Heck yeah! Hey, if you like ramen I know the best place in town!" I held back a chuckle as I was pulled over to Ichiraku, greeting the older man and his daughter with a bow.

"Hey, Naruto-kun, how's it going?" The owner, Teuchi, greeted cheerfully. His eyes alighted on Naruto's hand holding my arm and he grinned, before adding in a teasing tone, "Oh, you finally brought your girlfriend here, huh?"

"Hey hey, pops, come on. She's not my girlfriend!" Naruto complained, putting on a fake pout and getting laughs from the two behind the counter. He let go of my arm before taking his seat. I followed suit, looking up at the smile Teuchi was giving Naruto. _Huh, I'd expect that sort of look from Iruka first._

Orders were placed, and after a while Naruto spoke up again. "So what's up, Hinata-chan? You promised you were gonna talk about why you've been weird and all."

"Right. Well... I guess I've just been thinking about what it means to be a ninja." I didn't feel like going over the exact same words **again** after explaining it to both Hiashi and my team. "I guess I kind of woke up to a whole new world when we graduated."

"You'd think so, yeah," Naruto said, grumbling as he thought about it. "But we're just doing a bunch of chores and stuff! We're supposed to be ninja. **Ninja**. Why are we weeding peoples' lawns when we should be out there kicking bandit butt?"

Answering that took some thought; the typical reasoning would just bounce off of Naruto, like it did in the show. A grin spread across my face as an idea came through. "It's practice, Naruto-kun." At the predictably confused face, I elaborated, "Well, Hokage-sama doesn't get to go out and kick butt or save princesses either, right? If you want to be Hokage, you'll be doing stuff like listening to the civilians and doing paperwork... a lot of boring things. But they're all important even if they're not exciting."

Naruto was staring at me when I stopped talking. I tilted my head, wondering why, and waited for him to respond. Once he found his voice again, he was smiling again. "Yeah, but I'll be the **Hokage** , right? Why can't I get someone else to do all that stuff?"

"It's because Hokage-sama does all that stuff that people respect him. Being strong is good, but just being strong isn't enough, or they'd decide who's Hokage with a tournament instead of thinking about what makes a good **leader**. Uchiha-san was the top of our year; would you want **him** to be Hokage just because people think he's stronger?"

"Heck no!" The reply was immediate this time, and loud enough that I nearly fell out of my seat. "There's no way he'd be a good leader! All he does is sit around and glare at everyone!" Naruto paused, thinking about it. "Yeah, I guess so, huh. If I'm gonna be the best Hokage ever..." he grumbled a bit, but looked more thoughtful than upset, so I smiled encouragingly as I could.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. If it's you, I'm sure you'll be able to become a Hokage everyone can respect." _You already have in another timeline, after all_ , I added mentally, before turning my attention to the bowl of ramen Teuchi put in front of me. Naruto turned to his as well, eating enthusiastically while I took my time.

The little ramen stand seemed to fill with a warm, friendly mood after that, and I looked up at the three there with me. I hadn't really gotten out that often before coming to this world, excepting the times that one of the four friends I had back home would drag me out of the space I called a home. Clint and Richard were the ones that dragged me out the most, until I set them up on a blind date with each other. They were pretty distracted after that.

I chuckled at the memory, drawing the attention of the others again. "Oh, sorry. I was just uh... thinking of a book I read a couple of days ago."

"A book, huh?" Naruto's expression was a bit dubious as he turned back from what was, if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, his second bowl of ramen. "I never really got the appeal."

"It's different for different people," I answered noncommittally, before shifting the subject. "What kind of things do you do in your free time, Naruto-kun? When you're not training to kick your Sensei's butt, that is."

"Ha. Well, I guess I haven't been able to do all that many pranks, with how busy it's been the last couple days." Naruto let out a little _harumph_ as he thought about his answer.

The days since I arrived **had** been pretty busy, really. Getting a sensei, training, getting tested, training, doing missions, and—for me, at least—dealing with the weird situation with Hinata's family. Aside from the one visit to the library and the talk with Ino, all the times I could remember actually sitting down to talk with people were at meals. Like this one. _Maybe I should actually try for some relaxation time. How_ _ **has**_ _Ino been handling the missions, anyway? She's probably just as impatient about it as Naruto is._

Oblivious to my thoughts, Naruto found his answer and carried on. "I guess mostly I've been trying to get that jerk and Sakura-chan to stop ignoring me. It's not like anything I've done before's worked, right?"

"Aah," I answered, just as noncommittally as I had the question about books. Seeing Naruto start to get annoyed, I smiled a little and gave him a real answer. "I don't know Uchiha-san or Haruno-san enough to really guess why."

"Darn." Naruto finished up his second bowl of ramen in a bit of a sulk, while I finished my first just a bit after that. I paid for both of our meals before Naruto could get his wallet out, not wanting him to waste any. He was living on his own, after all.

I was just about to get up when Naruto spoke up again, his voice softer than usual. "So hey, Hinata-chan, can we meet up again some time?" The low tone gave me pause, and I looked at him for a few seconds before smiling back.

"Of course, Naruto-kun."

*~`-'~*

 _Author's Note: By all that is, this chapter fought me at EVERY turn. I don't even know why, but Kurenai and Sarutobi were the biggest problems by far. That said, I hope it wasn't too bad for the delay. I can't promise a return to the pace I started with, but I'm not going to let this fic sit and rot. Some of the delay time was, at least, owed to good things. Things like planning out exactly how the events are going to spiral further and further away from canon._


	7. Chapter 7

With a belly full of ramen and a desire to relax after spending half the day working, I made my way back to the Hyuuga compound. Ino probably wouldn't be in any mood for a visit after her first day of less-than-ideal work, and the complaining that came with that... Shikamaru and Chouji would have listening to **that** well in hand without her help.

Running the rooftops along the way back was good practice, even if I was taking it light. If I kept at it, I had a feeling I might make a breakthrough on the wall-walking exercise, but again, it was time to **relax**. The exercise could wait.

I went back to ground level once I got within a block of the walls that split the clan's territory off from the majority of Konoha. It wasn't as far off from everyone as the Uchiha were, at least. Passing through the gate, it wasn't long until I felt the pressure of the clan's gaze again. The feeling wasn't that different from when Neji had to bring me back on the first day, but this time I wasn't half as shaken by the situation I'd found myself in. I walked through the streets, and while I still shied away from the more crowded areas, I refused to bow my head to avoid their eyes.

I used my Byakugan to look around for Hiashi and Hanabi, figuring that Neji would probably be training with Gai, Tenten and Lee. Hanabi wasn't anywhere I could see, but I did find Hiashi in what looked like a study, or similar, working on paperwork. When he looked up and met my gaze across the distance, I couldn't help the embarrassment heating my face as I let my eyes slide back to their normal state, giving him some privacy to work.

I did see something else in the search, though, and I walked into the building where Hiashi, Hanabi and I lived to look around. Finding my way around further than my own room took a while, and contrary to what I'd expected, my Byakugan-gazing hadn't helped memorize the layout. Probably because I could cheat through walls instead of remembering the way to turn here and there. _Something to work on, then._

Eventually, though, I found it. In a part of the estate that didn't have much traffic, not even the Branch Family that acted as servants in other areas, there was an ornate cabinet standing against an otherwise bare wall. Opening the cabinet revealed a photo of a woman with long, dark blue hair, wearing formal kimono-like clothes. An incense burner and a vase were on either side of the photograph, the cabinet itself adorned with keepsakes that I felt like I should remember, for all that they were foreign to me.

I found some incense nearby, and lit it in the burner before sitting in front of the shrine. My eyes were locked onto the picture of who I could only guess was Hinata and Hanabi's mother. Hiashi's wife. _Hopefully you're not too insulted at me sitting here, in your daughter's body_ , I thought at the picture, bowing my head to her respectfully, and only rising after several seconds. _I still don't know why or how I got here, or what happened to her. But I will take good care of this village and this family for as long as I_ _ **am**_ _here._

The silence stretched on for what seemed like several minutes as I sat before Hinata's mother, uncertain what else to say. Even as an outsider to the family, it felt right to pay my respects. _Maybe you'd like to hear about how things would've gone, if I hadn't happened. Your daughters had quite a storied future in store._

Telling the plot of Naruto as a story to the dead was surreal, but again, it just felt right. Whether or not Hinata's mom could actually hear me in the afterlife—and there **was** an afterlife, that much was sure in this world—the effort was worth it.

It was in the midst of relating the story of the show's Chuunin Exam that I realized I wasn't the only person in the room. Hiashi had stepped in at some point, and was sitting down beside me. We looked at each other briefly, before turning back to look at the shrine. _He probably has his own conversation to have with her. Is it a frequent thing? That might be why there wasn't any dust on the shrine._

Several more minutes passed, before Hiashi spoke. "You might not remember much about Haruka. You were only five at the time..." he drifted off briefly.

"Maybe you could tell me about how you met, Honored Father?" I tried to keep my voice calm. Not stoic, but calm, with genuine interest coloring my tone.

"Haruka and I? We were..." Hiashi chuckled softly, barely audible, as a smile spread slowly on his face. "She was the one who kept Hizashi and me out of trouble when we were kids. The responsible member of our little circle. Hizashi... he was never really the same after he was given to the Branch Family, but she helped us heal after that."

I hesitantly reached out, putting a hand on his arm as a small show of comfort. What else could I do?

"Hm... I can't say that I've gotten over losing either of them. Not truly. But I've had time to adjust to the pain, Hinata. I'm sure that Haruka's glad you came to visit." Hiashi took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

The silence stretched on for a while.

Eventually, I shifted awkwardly in my seat, speaking up again. Something to break the quiet that was settling around us. "I apologize for the change of subject, but one of my teammates, Inuzuka Kiba, has invited Aburame Shino and me to his house for dinner, on Monday. Will that be acceptable?"

Hiashi didn't respond for a while, his expression carefully blank. Eventually, he seemed to come to a decision, nodding. "It would be a good way to bond with your team, and to establish better relations between our clans. You will be representing the Hyuuga clan, when you go."

 _So don't embarrass us_ , I translated mentally, nodding slowly. "I won't let you down, Honored Father."

I got a nod in return, before Hiashi turned his attention back to the shrine. This time I rose up as the quiet fell bewteen us again, bowing to the shrine and to Hiashi before I left. That was as close to a dismissal as I was going to get, probably.

I still had the rest of the evening to go, but not much plan to go on. There were still a couple of books I wanted to read, and more practice with the Byakugan couldn't hurt. Having it active while moving around wasn't really the same as while standing still, or even fighting, and stopping to use it during a chase wasn't exactly the brightest idea.

*~'~'~*

The next morning, Team Eight met up bright and early again. Kiba looked **much** less enthused than he had yesterday. Shino, on the other hand, was about as calm as usual, which made sense. They both probably dealt with the boredom from the Academy differently, too. Sulking and shirking off, or just putting up with it to get through things.

Kurenai looked at us all and gave a nod. "You're taking it better than my team did after our first batch of D-Ranks. But don't worry, we won't be spending all day on them. Every day, we're going to spend a few hours training, and we'll do missions after lunch."

"That's great," Kiba grumbled, "but when will we get to some **real** missions?"

"If you all do a good job, we might be able to get a C-Rank mission in about a week," Kurenai offered, shrugging lightly. Despite the seemingly non-committal gesture, Kiba perked up at Kurenai's answer.

 _Still, a schedule's pretty good. That way I can make sure I'm ready. A week really isn't that long._

With that settled, we went through some warm-up stretches and exercises, before Kurenai got our attention again. "Today, we're going to be working on tracking and hiding techniques. I'll demonstrate some simple tricks, and you'll take turns trying to find each other."

"Hide-and-seek?" I asked.

"Playing ninja?" Kiba asked at the same time, before looking at me. "What's hide-and-seek?"

"Eh... It's another name for playing ninja," I explained quickly.

"Kind of a weird one, isn't it?" Kiba grumbled, before Kurenai spoke up again.

"Playing ninja, making shapes with string on your fingers, all of that... it was all a form of training to begin with." Kurenai smirked at the surprised reactions she got. Kiba was struck silent for a few seconds, while Shino raised both eyebrows. I just watched her, waiting for her to go on.

"This is a ninja village, so it only makes sense that the games that kids play here help make you better ninja too, right?" Our teacher pulled some string out of her pockets, going through complex shapes faster than I could track with an almost contemptible ease. "String shapes let you work your fingers out for hand seals, and speed and stealth are important for any ninja. Any other questions?"

Nobody had any, at least not any we were ready to ask out loud, so Kurenai started her demonstration; she went through a few surprisingly mundane tricks, rather than jumping straight to chakra manipulation as an enhancer. Special ways to walk, ways to hide scent or camouflage yourself in the field, things like that.

Once the basics were covered, we used rock-paper-scissors to decide who would hide first, and Kiba was chosen. After we'd given him enough time, I looked over to Shino. "Do you think he remembered to hide Akamaru too?"

"Probably not. Why not? Because he takes to this sort of challenge too enthusiastically." Shino mumbled, seemingly more to himself than to me, though he looked my way once he was done.

"You're right. He's probably all fired up about getting to 'beat' us before we even get to try hiding from him."

"Then as his teammates, we would do well to break him of such bad habits," Shino said with commendable casualness. I chuckled as we walked into the forest, looking for him.

The walk itself was pretty quiet, the sounds of chirping birds filling the air. _Whatever he did to hide, he's not disturbing the animals, at least._ Shino seemed to know where he was going, which probably meant he had a bug on Kiba. I wasn't going to use the Byakugan until it was my turn to avoid Kiba and him, since we were supposed to be practicing more mundane tracking techniques... then again, Shino's bug wasn't really fair either. But that was his choice to make.

 _I'm not seeing any tracks. Either they're using a trick to cover them up, or..._ I looked up as Shino came to a stop, and threw a pebble at a spot of white in the canopy. "Akamaru-kun, that tree's too thick for us to see clouds through it."

"Aw man!" Kiba complained loudly as he dropped out of the branches, before holding out his arms and catching Akamaru. "You really found me that easy?"

*~'~'~*

We went over what each of us used, for hiding and seeking, before we went back to the start and tried again. Next was Shino, who disappeared quickly. Once he was gone...

"So, he's probably already used to tuning out the sound of his bugs, right?" Kiba asked, looking at me.

"... Yeah, you're probably right." _I didn't actually think of that._ "Akamaru and you can probably hear them, huh?"

"Yep! We'll be able to pick him out pretty easily!" Kiba pumped his arm in the air, and off we went.

I wasn't able to help as much in this case, but Kiba was grinning the whole time, so I didn't feel too bad about letting him try out his idea. Sure enough, he and Akamaru seemed to notice something a few minutes into the forest, and we followed the noise to a particularly thick part of the forest.

"He's gotta be around here somewhere," Kiba whispered to me. I nodded, and started looking around... "Gotcha!" Kiba's shout shook me from my focus, and when I turned to look, Akamaru had pounced on top of a bush. Or... on top of Shino, once his transformation dispersed.

Shino was silent for most of the walk back, while Kiba cheered at finding him 'so easily.' "If I may ask," Shino interrupted, as we approached Kurenai again, "how _did_ you find me?"

"Ah, well. Akamaru picked up the sound of your bugs most of the way, but you realized to make 'em shut up when we got close, right? But you were still rustling around a bit. Juuuuust enough for Akamaru to hear it, you know?"

"... Is that so," Shino mumbled, contemplating this.

"Yeah. People make a lot more noise than they realize," Kiba went on explaining. "Even ninja can only do so much, and most of us Genin wear pretty heavy clothes. It just worked out in my favor this time."

"I see. Then perhaps lighter clothing would be preferable for stealth assignments." Shino adjusted his glasses, and tilted his head down a bit. With more of his face covered by the raised collar, it was harder to tell what he was thinking. _Maybe that's his way of signalling he's not up to talking anymore?_

*~'~'~*

Kurenai held the two boys back to talk about what each had done while I went out to hide. _Scent first, then sound._ Since I'd been along for each of the last two attempts, I had a better idea of what each of them would use, on top of my own knowledge about their clan abilities. They knew about the Byakugan too, probably. _But how much do they actually know? Maybe they just think I can see everywhere, and can't see through illusions. Shino did a Henge, after all._ So they might try to use that to sneak up on me.

I found a river and used that to mask my scent, making sure to stay under long enough to drive off any bugs Shino might have left on me. As an extra precaution, I left my sweater dry, hiding it up in a tree. _That'll be less noise, and it might delay them a bit by smell._

Leaving the river would leave tracks. The river would help mask noise, too. _Upstream or downstream? Downstream's probably predictable, but so is upstream just by thinking that way. They might just split up to check both, actually._ With that in mind, I opted to go towards the water's source. I ended up regretting this choice pretty quickly, with how cold the water was. My footing slipped up now and then, so I tried using chakra to stick to the ground—only partly successful, since a lot of it was loose to begin with.

Every so often, I checked where the boys were with Byakugan sight. Finding them took more time and effort each time, so I had to hide when I did it. They were coordinating with sign language that seemed only vaguely familiar. Not from the show, but... the same kind of familiar that came with practicing Gentle Fist techniques. Strange, distant, and definitely not **my** memories in action. _Too bad they don't come with a free translation guide._ Some gestures were pedestrian in their simplicity, but others were foreign and arcane mysteries to my eyes. All I could do was hope I hadn't given myself up at some point.

I ducked into the water now and then, to make sure the kikaichu hadn't snuck back onto me, and eventually I found a waterfall. By this point, my grasp on the chakra-sticking technique used for wall walking was more refined, by necessity. It was slow going, and between the chakra use, the physical effort of fighting the river, and the bone chill of staying in the river so long, I was pretty tired. _Time to hide._ Casting my enhanced gaze around, I noticed a cave behind the waterfall with what seemed like a pre-made camp and hide-out. _A way-station for surveillance? Or maybe something else..._ I crawled into the cave and looked over it with normal eyes, letting the Byakugan slip back again to conserve energy.

There was a bed, some supplies and medicines, food and drink, and some tools for contacting someone else. I set about drying off and cleaning up to rest. _If they can't find me, Kurenai probably has something to track me down._ I laid down on the floor, closing my eyes to catch some sleep.


End file.
